


I did swear on Styx, didn't I?

by Ihateswamps



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Annabeth Chase is a Good Friend, But he's trying, Canon Compliant, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Nico di Angelo is Bad at Feelings, Percy is trying too hard to be an ally, Three Days in the Infirmary (Percy Jackson), Will just wants to help, just a bit tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:01:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25745521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ihateswamps/pseuds/Ihateswamps
Summary: Another '3 days in the infirmary' story.Will is eager to help a certain son of Hades, and Nico is trying to take Reyna's advice and open up to people.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 47
Kudos: 295





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am adding to the endless piles of '3 days in the infirmary' fics, but this one is special because.....well maybe it's not. But I wanted to share my idea of what happens after Blood of Olympus!
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated!

Nico had promised Will he would stay with him in the infirmary but once he reached the front door he felt for the first time he might not be able to keep his promise on Styx. 

The battle, though not nearly as violent as The Battle of Manhattan, had still done a number on the campers. For every sprained ankle and dislocated shoulder there were just as many injuries that required even more serious attention. Nico realized it might be a bit distracting to have him looming like a shroud of darkness over the space. He also didn’t want to be there if, gods forbid, one of the campers takes a turn for the worst. He’s not sure if he could handle the feeling of being so close to even one more soul dying after everything he’s been through. 

As he turned to leave he was suddenly met by Will Solace, who was smiling despite the tense atmosphere of the infirmary. 

“I didn’t think you would really come.” Will said lightly. Nico noticed a drawl in the way he said ‘really,’ and silently scolded himself for never noticing Will’s slight southern accent before. 

“Well, I did swear on Styx, didn’t I?” Nico said. 

Will laughed at this and leaned against the frame of the door. Nico felt awkward just standing there with Will staring at him, and suddenly felt the need to break the tension. 

“So,” he muttered, “did you need me to cut bandages–”

Will quickly cut him off by shaking his head and waving his hands. Nico was beginning to notice that Will talked with his hands a lot. It reminded him of Bianca in a way. 

“No, no, no, no. Today the only thing you can do for me is to eat some food–and I mean real food not ambrosia–and sleep. I don’t even need to have healer’s magic to see that you’re malnourished and exhausted.” 

Nico quickly shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground. 

“Yeah…alright.” he muttered at a couple of rocks in the grass. 

Will pushed himself off the doorframe and reached out, grabbing at Nico’s arm to pull him inside. Nico hesitated slightly, before pulling his arm away. 

“I–uh–um. I don’t like being touched.” 

Will reacted like he had touched a hot fuse and pulled his arms away. 

“Hey man, no problem.” Will said quickly, “No touching. Though I might have to feel your arm to check your heart rate in a bit, is that alright?”

Nico hesitated slightly. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Will walked inside and Nico followed him. 

The infirmary was even worse once Nico got close to some of the beds. Several broken bones. Quite a few cuts and gashes. One demigod around Nico’s age was bleeding from a cut on his temple, as one of Will’s siblings quickly wrapped gauze around the camper’s head. It was clear some of the campers required lots of attention and would likely be in here for several days if not weeks. 

“I shouldn’t be here.” Nico muttered to Will. 

“What?” Will asked. “What are you talking about? You absolutely should be here.”

“I just mean–” Nico looked around again, “some of these kids need real attention. I shouldn’t be taking you away from helping someone that’s really hurt.” 

“Trust me.” Will stepped slightly closer to Nico, which caused the son of Hades to tense up visibly “You need just as much attention as anyone else here. Just cause you may look fine from the outside doesn’t mean that you are necessarily okay. You’ve been put through more than nearly anyone here. And if you keep going pretending like everything’s normal you’re going to risk hurting yourself even more. I won’t have you dissolving into a pool of darkness on my watch.” 

Will turned to lead him towards a bed at the back of the infirmary. “And besides,” he continued. “This is nothing compared to the Battle of Manhattan. If I can handle that with basically no supplies and half the healers I have now, I can take care of this no problem. I am certain that everyone will be back on their feet and climbing the lava wall in no time.”

“Okay. But if anyone else needs you don’t waste your time babysitting me.” Nico said. Will looked at him and smirked, before looking away. 

Will gestured for Nico to lay down in the bed and he quietly obeyed, kicking his shoes off before pulling his legs on top of the sheets. Will pulled up a chair and sat at Nico’s side. 

“Okay,” Will spoke “now for that arm touching I warned you about. It should only take a second but I need you to hold out your hand.” 

Nico hesitated again, but eventually extended his right arm letting Will take it. He pushed up the sleeves on the jacket he was wearing, a black hoodie to replace his bomber. Will held his arm and pressed his fingers into the pulse on his wrist. Because of Will’s healing abilities he didn’t need a lot of the equipment you’d expect from a doctor, like a stethoscope or a thermometer. He could sense Nico’s heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, and a myriad of any other health vitals simply by touching him. Will closed his eyes and paid close attention to Nico’s body and after a moment, looked back at him and removed his hands. 

He quickly turned to the small table next to the bed and began writing something in a notebook. Nico pulled his sleeve back down and pushed himself up so he was leaning on his elbows. Will turned back around in his chair and looked up at Nico. 

“Well like I said, you’re very malnourished. You need to start eating regularly and well. Not just gas station granola bars. And you’re exhausted, but it’s more than that… all that underworld magic really did a number on you. It feels like–” He paused, trying to find the right words “it feels like parts of your body are trying to fade into the shadows against your will. I’m serious about not shadow traveling for a while. If you try it again too soon, I don’t know if all of you will want to come back into the light.” 

Nico sat quietly while he listened to this. He knew that he had pushed himself, and there were a few times when it felt like he wasn’t going to come back. As much as he wanted to ignore Will’s concerns, he knew that he was right. 

“Well,” Will slapped his legs before standing up. “Let’s start with food. That’s the easy one.” Will stood up and left the bedside, leaving Nico sitting awkwardly on his own. 

Nico once again looked around the room, mostly to see how many people were staring at him, the cursed son of death. He was a little surprised to see that not one person was paying him much attention, at least no more than anyone else. Occasionally he would make eye contact with one of the Apollo campers who would give a quick smile and wave before returning to whatever they were doing. 

He thought briefly of how he was treated after the Battle of Manhattan, where everyone acted like he fit in, but after the excitement wore off people started staring and whispering to each other. Surely wondering why he was still hanging around and not returning to the underworld or summoning ghosts. It was only a matter of time before things started to feel like that again. The euphoria of winning can only make people like him for so long. Nico suddenly felt anxiety settling in the pit of his stomach, and sank back into the bed. 

Will Solace quickly returned with a few plates and glasses from the dining pavilion. Nico sat up as Will sat them on a tray next to Nico’s bed. They suddenly filled with the exact food that Nico was craving for most of the trip back from Greece. A large bowl of pasta with meat sauce, and a glass of orange Fanta. As soon as the smell hit his nose it was like months of hunger finally caught up with him and he had to stop himself from scarfing down the whole bowl without even chewing. He maintained enough control to eat like a civilized person. 

Will once again sat at the chair at his bed and watched as Nico ate. The two sat in silence for a moment before Will spoke up. 

“I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to travel that far in such a short time. Let alone carrying a 40 ft statue and two other people. It must have felt like a nightmare.”

Nico swallowed his food and laughed dryly. “Trust me. I know nightmares. Getting the statue back was the easy part.”

“And what was the hard part?” Will asked. 

Nico froze. His mind flashed back to Tartarus. The feeling of the Phlegethon in his throat. The endless screams of monsters and giants. The acrid air that burned at his skin. 

“It was–I–uh…” He wasn’t ready to talk about Tartarus. He could hardly think about it without feeling the sense of panic and fear he had felt the entire time he was down there. Suddenly he felt sick to his stomach, and it was all he could do to keep from hurling up all the food he had just worked so hard to get down his throat. 

Will could tell that Nico was upset by his question. “I understand if you don’t want to talk about it yet. We can talk about something completely different, like...what kind of music do you like?”

Nico was still reeling from his flashbacks to Tartarus, but as he forced himself to focus on Will’s question he felt himself coming back to reality. 

“I–” Nico thought hard about the question. “I like...pop music.” As soon as he said it he wished he had lied. He knew that it was odd that the son of darkness, who wore all black and summoned the dead, spent what little amount of free time he had listening to techno-pop. But something about the upbeat songs made him feel more alive than he was used to. Plus it was something so different than what he grew up with in the 30’s. It was the perfect way to escape for a while without his mind wandering to the underworld or the casino or his previous life.

Will, understandably looked surprised by this. “I’m not gonna lie, I expected you to be a goth rock kinda dude. But I respect it! I can get down with some Lady Gaga every once in a while.”

Nico let a small smile slip to the front of his face. He thought back to what Reyna had said to him about letting people in. Staring at Will’s blue eyes he suddenly felt the unfamiliar urge to say more about himself. 

“I spend so much time thinking about death,” Nico revealed, “The last thing I want is to hear people sing about it. I like hearing music that makes people feel excited, and alive.” 

Nico was beginning to regret saying that but the way Will smiled after a moment made all of his anxiety go away. He suddenly felt the truth in what Reyna said. It can be powerful to reveal parts of yourself to others. After a moment Nico spoke up again, which might have made this the most he had spoken uninterrupted in years.

“Well what music do you like?” He asked Will. 

Will leaned back on his chair before saying “I know everyone gives me shit for it, but I love country music.” 

Nico was only slightly surprised by this answer. Between the flannel shirt and the slight drawl he was beginning to piece together that Will was a country boy if there ever were one. 

“Why do people give you shit for that?” Nico asked. 

“I mean country music gets a bad rap. People think it’s only singing about trucks and beers, and yeah some of it is. But the good stuff, the real country music, is all love songs and classic tragedy. It’s really one of the most earnest styles of music as long as you listen to the right people. But maybe I’m just biased, since that’s what I grew up on. My mom is a country singer.”

Nico smiled again, the muscles in his cheeks were beginning to get sore from the unfamiliar action. Will’s eyes glanced down at Nico’s lips for just a moment, before flicking back to his eyes. Nico’s face suddenly felt hot and he felt a stronger tension between them. Will eventually broke the silence with a quick laugh. 

“It’s pretty tragic.” He joked. “Son of a country singer and the god of music, yet I can barely make it through my scales. Sometimes I wish I got my parent’s musical ability, but…’ he looked down at his hands and flexed his fingers, “I guess I’m just a healer.” 

“I think you’re more than ‘just a healer,’” Nico muttered, “you’re the best healer in Apollo cabin. I remember how you helped Annabeth at the Battle of Manhattan.” 

“Yeah I guess.” Will blushed slightly. “It would be nice to be able to do something great. Go on a quest and be a real hero like you and the others.” 

Nico was surprised to hear anyone call him a ‘real hero.’ He was normally just ‘the creepy guy who happened to be there while Percy did all the heroic stuff.’ Even when he brought the army of the dead into Manhattan and helped save Olympus it was still just Percy and Annabeth who got all the praise. Even the gods had offered Percy anything he could possibly want, and all Nico got was a pat on the back and a quick ‘thanks’. 

After a moment he realized he might have been staring at Will for too long, and quickly spoke up. “Trust me, I don’t think quests are all that special. It’s a lot of pain and suffering for a few moments of fame. You’re not missing out on anything great.”

Will looked slightly saddened to hear this from Nico. He paused for a moment before speaking again. 

“Well you promised me you’d get a good night’s sleep so I should let you get to bed.” 

“Oh, okay.” Nico was sad to see Will leaving, normally he preferred to be alone but he had liked talking with him. He worried he had said something wrong and scared him off. Though he is surprised to see that Will did not actually leave and instead turns around in his chair towards his siblings.

“Hey Kayla!” Will shouted over the noise of the room, “Can you grab that jar I left on the shelf by the door. And can you bring me some hot water and a mug.”

He turns back to Nico and after a moment a young redhead girl with green streaks in her hair came rushing over. She was carrying a ceramic teapot and a mug that says ‘Don’t talk to me before I’ve had my nectar’ and had a small mason jar with some sort of dried herbs in it wedged under her arm. Will quickly stood to remove the now empty plates from where Nico had eaten so that Kayla can place the items she brought in their place. 

“Thank you, Kayla!” Will said cheerfully. The girl smiled and quickly left them to return to delivering bandages and other supplies to the other healers. 

“What’s this?” Nico asked as Will scooped a few tablespoons of the dried herbs into the teapot full of water. 

“It's chamomile and valerian. It will help you sleep, and it will help keep the dreams away. We grow it here at camp so it’s extra effective.” Will said, as he closed the lid of the teapot to let it steep. 

“Thank you,” Nico said, “for doing all of this for me. I’m sure you have other people you’d rather be talking with right now.”

“Don’t talk about yourself like that.” Will said flatly. 

“What?” Nico asked, “‘Like’ what?”

“Like you’re not important. Like no one wants to spend time with you. I’m not just sitting here cause I need to watch over you. I’m here because I want to get to know you.”

Nico was startled to hear this. He didn’t know how to react to what Will had said. He had seemed so upset by the idea of Nico thinking he didn’t want to spend time with him.

Will got up and poured the tea into the mug and handed it to Nico. The warmth was comforting in his hand. Will eyed him and gestured a sort of ‘drink up’ motion. Nico lifted the cup to his lips. 

The taste, although not being even close to the worst thing Nico had drank, was still not great. The bitterness made him shudder slightly as he swallowed. 

“It tastes like grass.” He said to Will. 

“It is,” Will laughed, “Well technically its grass, flowers, and roots. But what it lacks in taste it makes up for in great sleep so if I were you I’d drink up.” 

Nico quickly obeyed the order and continued drinking. Once he got past the taste he could enjoy the warm feeling it left in his stomach. He started to feel the effects almost immediately and by the time he had reached the bottom of the mug he could already feel his eyelids becoming heavy. Will took the cup from his hands and gathered the teapot and jar before saying a quiet ‘good night’ and leaving Nico’s side. 

Nico quickly rolled over and drifted off to sleep, finally getting to rest uninterrupted by dreams of any kind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one doesn't have as much Solangelo content, but don't worry there is more coming in the future!
> 
> (also surprised more people don't write Nico & Annabeth scenes I feel like their friendship has so much potential!)

By the time Nico woke the sun was already sitting in the middle of the sky. He felt the warmth radiating in through the windows. He felt well rested and relaxed for once. 

He looked around the infirmary. Many of the campers with minor injuries had left sometime last night or this morning. There were about half as many beds full as there were when Nico had fallen asleep. He caught the eye of Kayla, the redheaded Apollo camper from yesterday. Once she saw him she quickly leaned out the open front door of the infirmary. 

“Will!” She shouted out the door. Nico was starting to learn that a lot of the communication between Apollo siblings happened at decibels greater than most people would deem necessary. She quickly returned to what she was doing but a few moments later Will Solace wandered back into the infirmary. 

Once his eyes landed on Nico he smiled, and walked over to the bed where he was laying. 

“Good morning sunshine.” Will said cheerfully. 

“What time is it?” Nico said, rubbing at his eyes. 

“Just after 1pm. You obviously needed a good night's rest.” 

Nico looked at Will. Instead of wearing his green hospital shirt he was wearing a classic orange camp tee tucked into a pair of cut-off jean shorts. 

“Are you not working today?” Nico asked, gesturing to his outfit. 

Will looked down “Ah. No, today's my day off! Lots of kids checked out this morning and so they didn’t need everyone to come in. But I asked them all to let me know when you woke up so I could come check on you.”

Nico nearly felt himself blush at the idea of Will going out of his way to come check on him, even though he didn’t need to. He started to realize that perhaps he was really telling the truth yesterday when he said he wanted to get to know him. 

“Well...thanks,”Nico said, “you know–for coming to check on me.”

“Hey man, no problem. I just want to make sure you don’t hide in the shadow in the corner for too long.”

Nico and Will chuckled lightly at this. 

“Well,” Will spoke, “since you missed breakfast and lunch I could go and grab you something to eat if you want.” 

“Yeah that would be nice.” Nico said. 

Will turned and walked towards the exit, once again leaving Nico alone. 

The son of Apollo was gone longer than it would take anyone to walk to the dining pavilion and back. Nico felt something tug at him as he suspected that Will had gotten distracted and forgotten about him. He slumped into his bed. 

His suspicions were quickly disproven a few moments later when Will finally returned with a few plates and a glass from the pavilion. As he walked in Nico felt a jolt of anxiety when he noticed that he was being tailed by Annabeth Chase. The two walked over together and Nico wanted to crawl back into the sheets and hide. Annabeth was intimidating on a good day, and that was before Nico had admitted that he used to be completely obsessed with her boyfriend. 

“Sorry that took so long.” Will chimed, “I ran into Annabeth here and she was asking about you.”

“And what did you tell her.” Nico asked a bit too quickly. 

“Oh, don’t worry.” Will placed his hand on his heart as if he was taking an oath. “Doctor/Patient confidentiality. Didn’t tell her any details. But she was asking if she could come visit soon so I figured I could let her come see you now.” Annabeth smiled politely. 

“I wanted to come check up on you. Make sure you’re staying all solid and stuff.” Annabeth said. “I talked to Reyna and she said some of those jumps were pretty rough.”

Nico suddenly worried exactly how much Reyna had shared with Annabeth about their trips. She had seen a lot of darkness in him and he wasn’t exactly proud of some of the things he did on their journey back. 

Will set the plates on the table by Nico’s bed, but he suddenly didn’t feel like eating. 

“Well,” Will looked between Nico and Annabeth, “I suppose I should let you two catch up for a bit. I’ll be organizing the medicine jars if you need me.”

“I thought this was your day off.” Nico said. 

“What can I say. They just can’t get rid of me.” He joked, before leaving Nico alone with the daughter of Athena. 

He tensed up as Annabeth stepped forward to take a seat on the chair at his side. Nico couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact. 

“Here to tell me to stay away from your boyfriend?” Nico said coldly. 

“Trust me.” Annabeth chuckled. “If I was worried about someone coming in and sweeping my boyfriend off his feet I would be taking that up with him first.”

She paused, waiting for a response, but Nico didn’t say anything. 

She decided to fill the silence. “Besides.” She glanced back at Will for only a second, but long enough for Nico to notice. “I don’t think I have to worry about you making any passes at Percy anytime soon.”

Another moment of silence. 

“I wanted to thank you, properly.” Annabeth said finally, “Bringing the Athena Parthenos back was a huge task and I’m glad you and Reyna were the ones to do it. My mother has spoken to me and she finally feels at peace after thousands of years. You made that happen. So, thank you.”

Nico hesitated before looking up at Annabeth. “I was just trying to help. I wanted to help the camp.” He muttered. 

Annabeth looked at Nico with the same pensive stare she normally reserves for battle maps and architecture blueprints. 

“You care about this place.” She observed. “You pretend you don’t, but you were willing to risk your life to protect it.” 

Nico simply shrugged, not knowing how to respond. 

“I’m glad you’re staying.” Annabeth said. “I think it will be good for you. I think you’ll see that you have a place here. You always have.”

“Mhm.” Nico laughed harshly. “Yeah I’m sure the others aren’t nearly as excited to hear they’re gonna have me around all the time.”

Annabeth pursed her lips. “Have you heard the story by Plato about the people with four arms and four legs?” She asked. 

Nico’s gaze went cold(er) as his eyes flashed towards Annabeth. 

“Yes.” He muttered, “He said that humans originally had two heads, four arms, and four legs. They were half man and half woman. The gods decided they were two powerful so they split them. And now everyone wanders looking for their other half.”

“Partially correct.” Annabeth said, and Nico gave her a quizzical look. “In the original story it’s said that only some of the beings were half man and half woman. Some were just male, and others were just female. And some people’s other half weren't romantic at all. Some people felt made complete by their friendships and platonic relationships.”

Nico was surprised to hear this. He had spent so many years never able to imagine a world where he could be happy, the way he was. 

“I hadn’t heard that version.” He said softly. He saw a small smile tug at the corner of Annabeth’s mouth. 

“Not as many people have.” She stated, “A bunch of British prudes neglected to translate the sections where it mentions people having other halves that are the same sex and now people always leave that part out. Figures that bigots would favor inaccuracy, that way they can pretend that Greece was a bunch of straight white guys. If you actually read anything about the Greeks you’ll know that’s far from the truth.”

Nico smiled at her, and realized this might be the first time Annabeth has seen him smile since they met at Westover Hall. 

“I don’t know how true the story is.” She continued. “Plato had quite a few discrepancies when it came to the gods. But I do think it is worth knowing. I just want you to know that you don’t need to be alone. You might not be able to see it all the time but there are people out there who love you, and you don’t need to deny yourself that love, whether romantic or not. Percy and I are here for you and we can help you build a home here at camp.” 

‘Percy and I’ Nico noticed. He was once again reminded of how easily Annabeth was able to speak of them as a couple, instead of two individuals. For the first time Nico let himself wonder if he would one day find someone that he felt that way about. Someone he could imagine as an extension of himself. 

“Do you think that you’ve found your other half?” Nico knew it was a difficult question but he asked it anyway. He couldn’t help himself. 

Annabeth hesitated but eventually laughed and spoke. “I hope so. It would be pretty crappy of me to drag him all the way to Tartarus and then top it all off by dumping him.”

At the mention of Tartarus the two of them both tensed. Annabeth looked at Nico with sad eyes. Nico didn’t want to say anything at first. 

“I can’t even talk about it.” He said eventually, “I don’t even know where I would begin. I feel like no matter what I said no one would be able to understand how horrible it was.”

“I feel the same way.” Annabeth replied, “I’ve tried talking about it with Percy but even then it still feels like if I put it in words it would never be as bad as it was to experience it.” 

The two sat in silence for a long time before Annabeth spoke again. 

“I don’t know if you know this but…” she trailed off, clearly debating heavily whether she would be able to say what she wanted to outloud, “but when me and Percy and Grover went on our first quest, Grover nearly got sucked into Tartarus. We were in the underworld and he had a pair of shoes on that Luke–” she hesitated again, clearly getting choked up. “that Luke gave to Percy. They were cursed. They were supposed to drag Percy into Tartarus as soon as we reached the underworld.”

“I didn’t know that.” Nico said, shocked that Annabeth was telling him this. 

“I spent so long after that believing that Luke was still good. That I could save him. I risked our lives multiple times trying to get through to him. But when I was walking through Tartarus I realized that anyone who would send another person there–there’s no way you could recover from that.”

Nico stared blankly at Annabeth. He had never seen her like this. She normally kept up her stern exterior with people and it was difficult to see her facade cracking. He wondered what had pushed her to share this with him. 

“I–uh…” Nico stuttered. 

“I’m sorry if this is too much. It’s just, I tried talking about this with Percy and it’s still too hard. I just feel so guilty for everything I’ve put him through.” Annabeth said, wiping a tear from her cheek. “I figured the only other person who might understand is someone else who knows just what Tartarus is like.”

“I do understand.” Nico said. “Not exactly, but I understand feeling guilty for putting people in danger. And I understand the way that Tartarus gets in your head. It sticks with you even when you’re out.”

“I still don’t know how you did it alone.” Annabeth said. “You’re stronger than Percy and I combined.”

Nico looked down at his hands, fiddling with his silver skull ring. Annabeth once again stared at him like she was studying a diagram. He tried to meet her gaze but looked away after only a second. 

“Well,” She said after a moment. “I should probably let Will get back to taking care of you. I am serious though. Just cause you can do everything alone doesn’t mean you need to. And if you ever need anything, or if you just want to talk, I’m always an Iris message away.” 

Nico forced another smile. 

Annabeth was beginning to leave but as she stood up Nico spoke up.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for anything.” He said quickly, and Annabeth paused and looked at him. “You only ever wanted to help and protect the people you care about. That’s not a bad thing. Percy is lucky to have someone like you, who tries so hard to look out for him”

Annabeth smiled before turning and heading for the door.

“Wait!” he called, and Annabeth quickly turned back to look at him. “You said if you and Percy broke up you’d be the one to dump him? Why?”

A wide smile crept across her face. “Because I know that Percy can tell he wouldn’t survive one day without me. He may be dumb but he’s not dumb enough to let me go.” 

Nico smirked at this answer. Annabeth finally walked away leaving him alone in bed once again. She stopped quickly where Will Solace was standing, still doing some action that vaguely resembled counting medicine jars. She muttered something to Will that Nico could not hear from where he was sitting. Will smiled lightly before turning back towards Nico and heading his way. 

Annabeth headed towards the door, shooting one more smile in Nico’s direction before she eventually turned and left. 

Will arrived back at Nico’s side smiling and Nico wondered exactly what Annabeth had said to him. Will gave no incite into their interaction as he simply jumped right back into his usual fast paced orders. 

“Alright. Now you may have gotten out of eating for this long cause you had a friend visiting, but I am gonna have to see you eat something before I leave here today.”

Nico smiled and turned back to the plates that were left unused on his bedside table. Will pulled a tray from the drawer and passed it to Nico, who summoned a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup. 

Will sat down in the chair where Annabeth had just been and smiled as Nico dipped his sandwich into the soup and took a bite.


	3. Chapter 3

After Annabeth’s visit, the rest of Nico’s day had been fairly uneventful. Will had stayed by his side to make sure he ate and drank enough, though they didn’t do nearly as much talking. Nico had still been pretty shaken up after his Tartarus Talk with Annabeth. Nico could tell Will wasn’t exactly comfortable with the silence, but he wasn’t trying to push Nico to talk when he was clearly upset. 

The two demigods mostly sat in silence, while Will wrote some notes in a journal and Nico flipped through a magazine that Will gave him from the stack in the infirmary (he wasn’t particularly interested in it but it was better than staring at the wall). Nico had wondered if he would rather spend his day off doing something more entertaining on his day off, but he didn’t bring this up to Will. Once the sun had set Will went back to his cabin, leaving Nico alone to sleep. 

Will didn’t give Nico another dose of Valeria, telling him that taking it too often can make you dependent on it and it will be harder to fall asleep on your own. Nico didn’t mind at first, his conversation with Annabeth had worn him out about as much a shadow jump so he didn’t feel like he needed any help falling asleep. But as soon as he wished he could have had some if only to fend off his dreams for one more night. 

Nico found himself back in the underworld. He was staring out over the fields of Asphodel. He turned to see his father’s palace, in black and misery. It was odd to him that for so long this place had been the closest thing to a home he had. 

He walked towards the entrance but suddenly felt a force resonating from deep(er) underground. He turned around looking for some source of this power but found nothing. As he took one more step he felt an invisible force yank at him and his feet pulled out from under him. He was dragged by his ankles, as if tied to a chariot, away from the palace and deeper into Asphodel. He suddenly knew exactly where this force was taking him. 

No matter how much he tried to fight it, how much power he tried to conjure, it was useless. Even in the domain of his father he found himself unable to do anything to defend himself. He finally saw the black pit that he was being drawn to. The cliff into Tartarus was more horrible than he remembered, sinking into black emptiness that pulled all of the hope from your soul. 

Nico felt a spark of pure terror as he felt the essence of Tartarus calling to him. As if all the hope drained from his body, Nico closed his eyes and stopped all resistance. It was pointless to fight anyway. 

As soon as Nico felt himself begin to fall over the edge he suddenly opened his eyes and found himself back in the camp infirmary. He was sweating and breathing hard. He struggled to catch his breath and look around at his surroundings. 

It was nearly sunrise and the rest of the patients in the infirmary were fast asleep. A few healers were lazily wandering around, collecting supplies and beginning any of the menial tasks that would need to be done before the patients woke up and needed assistance. None of them had noticed Nico yet.

He quickly turned and glanced out the window by his bed. He could see the view out over the strawberry fields. He noticed someone sitting in the grass looking over the valley. He couldn’t make out much aside from a blond head and an orange camp shirt. That hardly narrowed it down, between Jason, a selection of Hermes kids, and basically everyone from the Athena cabin Camp Half-Blood had its fair share of blond teens roaming about. 

Nico turned away from the window. He glanced back at the chair sitting at his bedside. He thought back to what Annabeth had told him about Grover getting pulled towards Tartarus by his shoes. He shuddered as he remembered the feeling from his dream. The sense of hopelessness and fear as he was pulled closer and closer to the edge of the underworld. He pressed his palms into his eyes and tried to shake the feeling from his dream. 

After a moment an Apollo camper who Nico didn’t recognize noticed he was awake and quickly brought him a glass of water and asked if he needed anything. After Nico said he was fine the camper quickly returned to whatever tasks he was trying to get done before the rest of the infirmary woke up. 

He sat quietly for a while and watched the light from the window shift as the sun rose. He felt the warmth slowly fill the room and soon the entire infirmary was flooded with golden light. He noticed that as soon all of the Apollo campers were suddenly more energetic, as if they had all drank several cups of coffee. As the day got brighter he noticed more and more healers slowly filing in, as more and more patients started to wake up. 

Eventually Nico saw Will Solace walk in, one again wearing his classic green-scrubs-shirt-wtih-jeans combo. He had a canvas tote bag slung over his shoulder and carried himself with the same casual ease he always seemed to have. He quickly smiled at Nico and made his way through the infirmary to his bedside. As he got to Nico’s bedside he casually tossed the tote bag down on the chair. 

“I have a present!” He said cheerfully. 

Nico was slightly apprehensive to the idea of receiving gifts. He wondered what Will could have up his sleeve, if this was some sort of joke. 

“Uh–okay.” Nico murmured. 

Will rummaged through the large tote back before quickly pulling out an iPod and a pair of earbuds tangled together in a pile of knots. Will made quick work of the headphones and eventually had them (mostly) untangled. He handed them, along with the iPod, to Nico. 

“Don’t tell Chiron. Even though it doesn’t have cell service he still gets anxious about any technology that connects to the internet.” Will laughed. 

Nico gaped down at the piece of technology. He knew how it worked, of course. He may have been from the 30’s but he had been around the 21st century long enough to not be completely oblivious to modern innovations. But he just couldn’t figure out why Will had given him this. 

“I–uh–thanks?” Nico stuttered. He didn’t mean for it to come out as a question but as he said it he couldn’t help it. 

“Hey don’t worry about it.” Will said. “I thought it might help you take your mind off things. The Hermes kids have stacks of these laying around for anyone who knows to ask. And I had Austin over there load it up with some techno-pop, like you said you liked. He’s much more of a music nerd than I am so I figured he’d know some good stuff.” He gestured over to one of the other campers. It was the kid who had brought Nico water that morning. He had dark skin and wore his hair in intricate cornrows. 

Nico suddenly felt his face get hot. He was overwhelmed by the thought of Will going out of his way not only to get him the iPod, but to make sure it was full of music he would like. He quickly wrapped the headphones around the device and set them both on the table next to his bed. 

“Thank you.” he said again. Will smiled at him in return and it took everything in Nico’s power not to look away. 

“That’s not my only piece of good news.” Will said. “Tonight I’m going to set you free. You’re looking loads better so I figured you can stay here the rest of the day, and then tonight you can go eat dinner with everyone else in the pavilion, and then sleep in your own bed in your cabin!”

“Really?” Nico didn’t know why he was so surprised. He was obviously eager to be out of the infirmary and have some privacy, but he still felt a little sad at the idea of not getting to spend as much time with Will. Plus he was nervous about being around the others especially during dinner. He hadn’t really spoken to a lot of the other campers and still didn’t know how they’d react to his staying. 

“Yeah! I still want to check a few things, but you’re a lot more rested and as long as you keep to a regular meal schedule and get enough sleep, you should be fine. Though I still think you should avoid anything too ‘underword-y’ for a few weeks at least.”

“Yeah, okay. Thats good.” Nico shrugged. He looked down at his hands and fidgeted with his silver skull ring. 

Will clearly could see Nico was tense. “I know you might be nervous but you don’t need to worry. You’re safe here at camp, everyone here looks out for each other.” 

Nico didn’t look up at him. “Yeah, sure.”

Will pursed his lips slightly. “What did you and Annabeth talk about yesterday?”

“Uh– nothing.” Nico muttered. He quickly looked up at Will. “Just… quest stuff."

“Okay.” Will said sympathetically. “I was just wondering. It seemed like you were really shaken up after and I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine.” Nico snapped, perhaps a little too harshly. “I don’t need you to take care of me.”

“One: I’m a healer so it’s literally my job to take care of you.” Will said, “And, two: even if I wasn’t I would still want to check up on you. You act like you don’t need anyone but that’s not true. I want to be able to help you with whatever you’re going through.”

“As if you could understand anything I’ve gone through.” Nico snapped. As soon as he saw the look on Will’s face he regretted saying it. 

Will was clearly hurt and quickly grabbed his bag and a few of his other things. 

“I have to go check on some other people.” Will muttered before quickly leaving Nico alone again. 

Nico pressed his palms into his eyes. He internally scolded himself. _You were supposed to be getting better_ , he thought. _You’re trying to open up more. Why did you have to lash out like that?_

Nico laid back in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He occasionally glanced towards the iPod from Will, but he couldn’t bring himself to pick it up. He didn’t feel like he deserved to keep it. 

After a while he sat back up and looked around the room. His eyes drifted to where Will was sitting. He was at another camper’s bedside, changing her bandages and cleaning a cut that had been stitched up on her forearm.

Will had that same glow about him he usually did when he was helping people. Despite the gruesome situation he was smiling, and chatting with the girl while he helped her. Nico realized something that he had always suspected, Will was only helping him because he had to. If he wasn’t a healer then Will probably wouldn’t have looked twice at Nico except with contempt. Nico looked away and felt a sour taste in his mouth. 

Around lunch time Kayla brought Nico some plates from the pavilion. 

“Will wanted me to make sure you had something to eat.” She said. 

Nico looked past her to see Will once again assisting with another camper, this time a teenage boy with a splint on his ankle. 

“Thanks.” Nico muttered. 

Kayla quickly set the plates on a tray and left Nico alone. As she walked past Will she leaned and whispered something in his ear. Will looked back at Nico before quickly returning to what he was doing. 

Nico didn’t feel like eating much but forced himself to conjure a sandwich and eat as much as he could before he started to feel sick. 

The day continued and Nico laid in his bed facing the wall, hoping no one else would bother him anymore. 

Nico watched the light move across the wall and eventually take on a more golden hue. Just as the sun began to set he heard a light cough from his bedside. 

He turned to find Will once again standing there. He had changed out of his hospital shirt and was wearing an orange camp tee. 

“Freedom awaits.” He said lightly. “Dinner’s about to start. I can walk with you to the pavilion if you want.” 

“Sure, I guess.” Nico sat up in bed. 

Will shifted slightly and stared at his feet. “I’m sorry about earlier. I know it’s still really fresh and I’m sure it’s hard for you to talk about. I shouldn’t have tried to push.”

Any bitterness Nico felt was suddenly replaced by guilt. He knew that Will shouldn’t be the one who is apologizing. 

“I’m sorry.” Nico said. “I shouldn’t have gotten upset. It’s not your fault, you were just trying to help.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of Will’s mouth. 

“Well come on.” He said, “I don’t want us to have to walk in late.” 

Nico stood up and pulled on his shoes and jacket. He was about to walk away but Will stopped him, grabbing the iPod and shoving it into Nico’s hand. Nico wanted to give it back and claim he didn’t deserve it, but he reluctantly accepted it, shoving it into the pocket of his hoodie. 

The two of them walked across the camp towards the loud chatter of the dining pavilion. Once they got there Will waved a quick goodbye and made his way towards his siblings. 

Nico’s eyes flashed towards the head of the pavilion and found Percy and Jason sitting at a table together waving him over. He made his way towards the other two boys, and sat down at the table with them. 

“Hey man!” Percy said cheerfully. “How’s it going?”

“Alright.” Nico muttered. 

“We’re glad you’re back with the living.” Jason joked, “The big three gang is altogether again.” 

Percy elbowed Jason in the side and the two boys laughed. “It is nice to have someone else to eat with. I’m glad Chiron decided to bend the rules a bit so we all don’t have to sit at our own tables.” Soon their plates appeared and, after quickly burning an offering to the gods, they started eating. 

Nico felt relaxed for once. It was nice to see that Percy wasn’t acting too awkward around him since his confession a few days ago. 

“Well I’ll enjoy the company while it lasts” Jason chided, “How long are you staying, Percy?”

“About two weeks.” Percy said through a mouth full of food. “At the end of the month me and Annabeth are heading back into the city for school. Though we’ll probably be coming back to check on things every once in a while.” Percy glanced towards the Athena table where Annabeth was sitting. He waved at her and she laughed before waving back. She made quick eye contact with Nico and smiled before going back to her conversation with her siblings. 

“Speaking of Annabeth,” Percy said, turning to Nico, “she mentioned that she came to check on you yesterday. It’s good to see you finally getting some rest. You look a lot better.” 

Nico swallowed quickly. “Yeah. Thank her for me when you get the chance.” Nico suspected from the casual tone he mentioned it, Annabeth hadn’t told Percy exactly what they had talked about yesterday. If she had, Percy clearly didn’t want to bring it up in front of Jason. 

I will!” Percy said cheerfully, “Also, I just thought you should know, me and Annabeth are both super proud of you for... ” he glanced quickly at Jason, “that thing you told us the other day. We haven’t told anyone else, but if you want to tell other people, we’d be proud of you for that too.” Percy’s forced sincerity was almost funny enough to ease Nico’s nerves about the conversation. He laughed lightly at the confused look on Jason’s face. 

“It’s okay Jason knows.” Nico shrugged. 

Jason had a moment of delay before he understood and said “Oh! That thing!” 

Percy looked between Nico and Jason, a slight expression of hurt on his face. “You told Jason before me?” 

Nico couldn’t help his exaggerated eye roll “It’s a long story.” 

Jason turned to Nico and smiled “I’m proud of you buddy!” He extended his hand for a high five and Nico quickly obliged. “Maybe Annabeth should be worried. Percy would be lucky to date someone as cool as you.”

“I mean I’m not even into guys.” Percy said, “at least I don’t think so. I mean maybe? I could be? I don’t know I’ve never really thought about it.”

Nico laughed and thought about how hearing Percy say that six months ago would have sent him into a state of shock. “Well either way Annabeth can have you. Like I said, you’re not my type.” 

“See.” Jason said to Percy. “Nico’s too good for you anyways.” 

Percy waited until Jason picked up his glass and quickly used his power to spill water all over his face. Jason retaliated by punching Percy in the arm. All three of them laughed. 

Nico felt calm for the first time in years. It was nice to be able to sit with Percy and Jason and not have some secret looming over him. He finally felt like he could find a family with other demigods here at camp. He didn’t feel like people would suddenly turn on him after learning about his sexualtiy like he had always assumed. 

After dinner he made his way back to his cabin. As he walked in he was once again assaulted by the truly disgusting design choices. He was going to be speaking with Chiron as soon as possible about remodels. 

As he kicked off his shoes he heard a knock at the door. He turned to see Will Solace standing in the doorway. He was illuminated with candlelight that made his yellow hair glow like imperial gold. 

“I just wanted to say goodnight.” Will said casually, “And to let you know that if you ever start to feel off again don’t hesitate to come to me. I’m like your primary care physician now, so don’t be afraid to come to me with any ailments, no matter how small.”

“Thanks.” Nico smiled. “And I am really sorry about how I acted today. I–I’m not used to people taking care of me.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Will smiled lightly, “I know it can take some getting used to, but you shouldn’t be afraid of help. That’s why Atlas’ job is so hard. He has to do it alone, holding the sky up would be easy if you had someone else there next to you taking half the load.” 

Nico felt a twinge of sadness. The mention of Atlas briefly reminded him of the quest that took his sister’s life. But he was still grateful for the sentiment coming from Will. 

“I know.” Nico said. “I’m trying.”

Will smiled. “Well I should let you get to bed. Just cause I’m not babysitting you don’t think you can go back to never sleeping. I’ll be able to tell if you don’t. And I will come and watch you all night even if it means I get caught breaking curfew, so long as I can make sure you’re getting a full eight hours.”

Nico felt a flutter in his stomach at the idea of Will breaking curfew to come and stay with him while he slept.

“Okay will do.” Nico said. “Goodnight.” 

Will smiled and waved before turning and walking out, leaving Nico alone in the large empty cabin. 

He quickly changed before crawling into a bed. He laid awake for a while before rolling over and forcing his eyes shut, willing himself to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one gets kind of sappy so be warned 
> 
> (also you can't tell me Will's love language is not touch)

Nico woke up to find, with slight surprise, that he had made it through the whole night with no dreams. He found himself thanking Hypnos for the rest as he pulled himself out of bed. 

He stood and took in the surroundings of the cabin. Apart from the design choices, it was a large well built room that felt entirely too big for just one person. He hoped that Hazel would be able to visit sometime so the room didn’t feel entirely empty. 

He quickly got dressed and pulled on his shoes. He was about to walk out, but at the last moment he looked back and grabbed the gift from Will he’d left on a table by his bed and shoved it into his pocket.

The camp was lively but there was an anxious energy that was kind of unavoidable when you have this many demigods in one area. Normally that energy is channelled into activities but since Chiron decided to put all activities on hold for the next few weeks no one had any strict schedules to stick to. The result was a couple hundred hyperactive demigods with way too much time on their hands getting just a little too close to bouncing off the walls. Nico liked the independence, but he also didn’t know what to do with himself. He hadn’t really had this much time to relax since the Lotus Casino. 

Leaving the cabin with no real plans he wandered the camp without any direction. He made his way towards the dining pavilion which was mostly empty except for a few small groups chatting amongst themselves. 

“Hey Nico!” 

Nico turned in the direction of the call and saw Jason and Piper sitting at one of the empty tables, waving him over. Nico made his way towards them and sat down on the bench next to Piper. 

“How are you doing man?” Jason asked enthusiastically. 

“Alright, I guess.” Nico said, “still adjusting.”

“Yeah I think we all are.” Piper said sympathetically. Nico could tell she didn’t exactly know how to talk to him. They’d never really spent any time together but she was obviously trying to be nice to him, for Jason’s sake if nothing else. 

“I think me and Pipes are gonna head down to the canoe lake later if you wanna come.” Jason said. Nico could tell from the look on Piper’s face that she was hoping that their trip to the lake would be just the two of them.

“Uh, maybe. I have a lot to do so I’ll probably be busy though.” It was an obvious lie. Piper’s expression softened and she gave Nico a look that almost said _Thanks for humoring my dumb boyfriend._

“Well once you are less busy let me know! Me and Piper are gonna be around. You can come hang out anytime.” Jason said, and Nico actually felt like Jason wanted to spend time with him. It was a shocking feeling, knowing that he wasn’t just some ghostly presence that everyone put up with. 

“How is it being in your own cabin?” Piper asked Nico. 

“It’s fine, aside from the decor. But it does feel pretty empty.” Nico replied. 

“Trust me,” Piper said, “Be grateful it’s empty instead of overflowing with other kids. You’re gonna appreciate it. It’s impossible to get any privacy in the Aphrodite cabin. I guess that’s what happens when your parent gets around as much as mine.” The three of them laughed lightly.

“Ah yeah you’ll get used to it.” Jason said, “Piper’s right. Once you get past the first couple days you’re going to love having the whole place to yourself.”

Nico believed him. As empty as it felt, he knew he would have gone crazy stuffed into one of the more crowded cabins. He thought back to his last time he had stayed at camp half-blood for more than a few days. Back when him and Bianca first came here. He had been stuffed into the overflowing Hermes cabin and barely had enough room to breathe his own air. 

As they were talking, a loud laugh cut through the crowd, and several heads turned in the direction of the soud. 

Nico turned to see a group of several Apollo kids heading back from the infirmary. Among them were Kayla, Austin, and Will. It was obvious that Will was the source of the noise as he was still doubled over laughing hysterically at something one of the other kids said. He grabbed at Austin’s shoulder and attempted to regain composure. 

Given the tense atmosphere at the camp following the fight with Gaea, Nico was always a little envious of Will’s ability to remain positive and calm in the face of violence and tragedy. 

Nico found himself staring a little too long as Will pushed his blonde hair away from his eyes. He watched as the group of Apollo kids made their way towards their cabin. 

When he turned back to the table he found Piper giving him a knowing look. Jason was just as oblivious as usual. Nico was fairly certain that Jason wouldn’t have told Piper about him being gay, but of course a child of Aphrodite would not be completly in the dark about matters of the heart. 

She looked past Nico at the group of Apollo kids and simply smiled before looking back to the son of Hades. 

“Well,” Piper said after a moment, “I think we should make our way down to the lake before it gets too hot.” 

Jason’s eyes lit up slightly. “Okay, yeah good idea.” He quickly turned to Nico “But I’m serious. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you ever wanna hang out.” 

“Come on, I’m sure Nico has a lot to do. You can’t keep him all to yourself, Jason” Piper laughed. She turned to Nico and gave him a subtle wink. He felt his ears turn red and started fidgeting with his ring again. 

The couple quickly stood up and left with a quick wave. Nico remained at the table for a few minutes before getting up and wandering through the camp. He wasn’t going anywhere in particular but eventually ended up near the docks looking out over Long Island Sound. The area was empty which was slightly surprising given that it was unusually sunny for a New York summer. The sky glowed with a pale blue hue, with only a few silver clouds peppered along the horizon. 

Nico walked to the edge of the dock and hung his legs over the edge. He sat and looked out over the water. He used to find it hard to go to the ocean, it was impossible to be there without thinking of Percy, but since he started getting over his crush on him he didn’t feel the same sadness he usually did. He still felt a quick pull in his stomach when he saw a particularly large wave or caught a glimpse of one of the hippocampi skimming over the water. 

He had spent so long amazed by Percy, not only his power to control oceans or communicate with horses, but by his ability to command attention and stand up to anything in his way. From the first moment he saw him, he was the perfect image of a demigod, like from the stories they read in school. He felt hopelessly drawn in by him. 

Looking back he had realized that he never actually loved Percy, only idealized him. He felt liberated in his realization that Percy was neither the love of his life, nor the perfect image of who Nico wanted to be. He was just another demigod, same as him. Even though he no longer wanted to be with Percy, he still sometimes missed how Percy made him feel. It’s hard to get over your first real crush, even when you know that you never really wanted them in that way. 

Nico looked over the horizon while he swung his legs back and forth over the edge of the dock. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and quickly pulled out the iPod and headphones Will had given him yesterday. He quickly turned it on and began flipping through the music. 

Will had vastly understated Austin’s work when he said he ‘loaded it up with some techno-pop.’ There were tons of albums from pretty much every musician Nico had heard of, plus twice that much from people Nico didn’t know. Austin definitely knew quite a lot about music if he was able to come up with this much in such a short amount of time. 

Nico put the earbuds in and put the library on shuffle. He laid back on the dock and closed his eyes and let the music fill his mind. The first couple songs were ones he knew: a song by Hannah Diamond, a remix of Kesha, a Lady Gaga song he had first heard while in the Lotus Hotel. 

After a few songs Nico heard the intro to one he didn’t recognize. Right away he liked the music and picked up the iPod so he could check who the artist was. _Man to Man by Dorian Electra._ He had never heard of it but he made a mental note to go and listen to more of the album. 

His eyes widened slightly once the lyrics started. 

‘You know I ain't straight  
But I’ma say it straight to you.   
I look you in the face  
Every time I talk to you.”

Nico listened intently to the lyrics. He had spent so long afraid of himself that he couldn’t imagine being brave enough to sing a song so proudly about queer love. It felt dumb for him to be overwhelmed by something as simple as a pop song but he couldn’t help it. This is exactly the kind of thing that made him kind of grateful for all of the time he’d lost in the Lotus Casino. If he had lived his whole life in the 30s and 40s he probably would have never been able to see people like him living so openly and proudly. 

Nico had vague memories of his childhood in Italy. He remembered the times growing up when he would make friends with a boy at school and find himself wishing they could be boyfriends. Or when he would scold himself for picturing holding hands with a boy instead of a girl. He vividly remembers being in the Casino and seeing two women kiss after winning a game and feeling like the entire world suddenly got twice as big. Even though the world was far from perfect, it was still shocking to him how far they had come in just 70 years. 

Nico was so distracted by the music in his ears he didn’t even hear the footsteps coming up the dock. Once he noticed the shadow creeping behind him he turned to see who it was. He was met with Will Solace, standing a little awkwardly with a notebook shoved under his arm and a pen tucked behind his ear. 

“Hey.” Nico sat up and paused the music. 

“Hey.” Will replied. He quickly pointed towards the iPod sitting on the dock next to Nico. “I see you like the present.”

“Yeah, I do.” Nico said. He was startled when Will came and sat next to him, hanging his legs over the dock as well. He placed the notebook and pen on the wood next to him. 

“What are you listening to?” Will asked.

Nico picked up the device and handed it to Will. “I just sort of put it on shuffle.” 

Will looked at the song. “Oh! I know this one. Kayla really likes it. She plays this kind of stuff in our cabin all the time.” He picked up the earbuds tentatively, “Do you mind if I listen?” 

Nico shook his head quickly, and Will put one of the earbuds in. Nico wasn’t expecting him to extend his hand and offer the other earbud, but he took it hesitantly and placed it in his own ear. Will hit play and let the music fill both of their heads. 

Nico felt his pulse quickening. His face was so close to Will’s as the headphones forced them to lean towards each other. Nico silently prayed that Will’s healer magic couldn’t sense his heart rate. 

Will closed his eyes and nodded his head to the beat. Nico couldn’t help but stare at his golden eyelashes and pink skin dotted with constellations of small freckles. 

Once the song ended Will opened his eyes and pulled the headphones from both of their ears, placing them on the dock between them. 

“I do like that song a lot.” Will smiled. 

“I thought you were more into country music.” Nico said. 

“I mean I do love country, but I’ll listen to anything really.” He looked Nico in the eyes, “Maybe I can play you some of my favorites sometime?”

“Uh–I–um–” Nico stuttered. “Y–yeah I’d like that.”

“Okay deal.” Will smiled wide. “You’ll have to come stop by my cabin. I’m very oldschool so I have a stack of cd’s under my bunk.”

Nico suddenly felt his hands get clammy. Was Will really inviting him to his cabin?

Will casually laid down on the dock, resting the back of his head on his arm. Nico gaped down at him for a moment before eventually leaning back and laying next to him. 

“I love days like this.” Will said, “It’s always so cloudy in New York. I love the days when you can actually see the sun.” He quickly waved at the sun sitting high in the sky, “Hi, dad.” The two of them giggled at this.

Will sighed. “When it’s like this it really reminds me of home. Back in Texas it's hot almost year round and you can feel the sun even in the shade.” Nico turned and saw a slight twinge of sadness on Wills face. 

“Do you miss it?” Nico asked. 

“Sometimes.” Will said. “I miss my mom, and our house. I miss the food for sure. Magically conjured Tex Mex is never the same as what you’d get from the old lady who sells tacos out of her own kitchen.” Will laughed. “I definitely don’t miss a lot of the people though. My town had a lot of conservative rednecks and religious bigots. Needless to say I didn’t fit in, and not just the ‘normal demigod’ kind of not fitting in.”

Nico studied the expression on his face. He suddenly wondered exactly what Will had meant by ‘not just the normal demigod kind’. 

Will turned his head and made eye contact with Nico, smiling slightly. 

“But what about you? Do you miss your hometown?” Will asked, “I don’t think I even know where you’re from.”

“Uh,” Nico muttered. “It’s a long story.”

“We have time.” Will smiled wider. 

Nico felt his stomach flip. “You might think I’m crazy.”

“I literally just waved at the sun which is also my dad. I think demigods get to have a different standard for crazy.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Nico hesitated. “I was born in Italy.”

“Stranger things have happened.” Will laughed. 

“...In 1932.”

Will’s eyes went wide. “Well you don’t look a day over 75.”

NIco laughed and looked back up at the sky. “I don’t remember a lot of it. Once the big three took their oath my dad decided it’d be safer if me and my sister didn’t remember who we were. He sent us to a few different boarding schools and eventually decided to hide us in a casino in Vegas. Time works differently inside that place. We went in for a few weeks, and came out in a whole new millennium.”

Will just gaped at him. Nico could nearly see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to find the right words to say. 

“That’s–well I did say demigods had a different standard of crazy, but that’s still pretty high up there.”

Nico chuckled. “Yeah I told you.”

“You don’t remember anything?” Will asked. 

“It slowly comes back to me. Eventually I might remember almost everything but now… I mostly get bits and pieces. Being back in Italy definitely jogged my memory quite a bit though. I was born in Venice, and when we were there I knew my way around. I kept getting glimpses into my past. I kept remembering things like me and my sister walking through the plazas, or our mom buying us pastries from a cafe.”

“Wow.” Will said. “I can’t imagine what that’s like.”

“Yeah,” Nico muttered, “no one can.” He stopped himself before he said it but he thought about Bianca. _Bianca would understand._

Nico looked over at the notebook and pen Will set at his side.

“Do you write?” Nico asked. 

Will turned to the book and rested his hand on the cover. “Oh, uh–yeah I guess. I like to write poetry. Typical for an Apollo kid I guess. “

“Oh that’s so cool. Are you any good?” Nico joked

“I’m not nearly as good as my siblings. I don’t really show anyone.” Will closed his hand more firmly on the cover. It was interesting for Nico to see Will being so shy about something. It felt so different than how he is with the rest of camp. “I like to come down here when I have time and write. I feel like I can think so much better outside. It might be dumb but it makes me feel closer to my dad.”

“I don’t think thats dumb at all. I think it’s really amazing.” Nico said, and he genuinely meant it.

“Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.” Will said. 

“Why me?” Nico asked. 

“You seem like you understand things.” Will replied, “Maybe it’s just that you’re wise from your old age.”

They both laughed. As Will laughed he pulled his hand off his notebook and reached over, grabbing Nico’s wrist subconsciously. Nico’s entire body tightened like Jason had just shot him with a bolt of lightning. 

Will immediately noticed, pulling his hand away. “Right, sorry. No touching.”

Nico felt his face growing hot, it was probably his imagination but he felt like the sun suddenly got brighter. 

“No, it’s–I’m just not used to it.”

“That’s fine.” Will smiled. “I don’t want to scare you off.”

Nico didn’t know how to take that. He wished that he knew how to tell Will that he wasn’t scared of him, or that all of his anxiety comes from somewhere else, but he just couldn’t find the words to say it. Instead he just looked into Will’s sky blue eyes, and felt like he could sit there forever, just the two of them on the docks. 

Will looked away first, staring out onto the horizon. Nico turned and looked in the same direction. Will adjusted his position so he could lean back on his hands. Nico moved into a similar position and the two sat in silence feeling the warm sun and the ocean breeze. Nico shifted slightly and the side of his hand brushed against Will’s. This time he didn’t pull away. 

Out of the corner of his eye he could almost see a smile tugging at the corner of Will’s lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had the idea for a while that Nico would be really into music like Dorian Electra and Charli XCX, and when I saw Rick tweet about how Nico listens to a lot of techno-pop I have now decided that its canon lmao so that's where most of the music scene came from. Also if you don't listen to dorian electra what are you doing?? go listen to Flamboyant now.


	5. Chapter 5

Nico was shocked when he looked around to see the horrifying burning walls of Tartarus. He could feel the acrid air burning his skin and making his eyes water. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the flaming waters of the Phlegethon. _Please, not again._ He thought. He nearly tumbled to his knees in exhaustion.

He was hyperventilating, panic burning deep in his stomach. He did his best to steady his breath, the more heavily he breathed the more the air burned at his lungs. He forced himself to get his balance and stand up straight. 

He looked around again. There were no immediate threats, just the general looming threat that never leaves you in Tartarus. He quickly scrambled, looking for any sense of direction, but it was as if the entire landscape had shifted since he had last been there. Everything was equal parts familiar and foreign. He forced himself to walk. As he walked he felt the deep sense of death that resonated everywhere around him. 

After a few steps he heard a crack behind him. He turned to see one of the arai following him. He reached for his sword but it was nowhere to be found. With a sense of panic he braced himself for the oncoming attack. 

The creature leaped, but the moment before she was about to sink her claws into Nico, she vanished, leaving Nico standing once again alone. He looked around suspecting this was some sort of trick, but could not see anyone near him. 

“You never got out, not really.” A booming voice echoed throughout the cavernous wasteland. Nico didn’t need to look to the source, he recognized the voice instantly. It was the omniscient voice of Tartarus himself. 

“You will always return to me. Children of Hades are not immune to death.” Tartarus continued. 

Nico wanted to cry but he wouldn’t let himself. He wanted to scream out and tell Tartarus he was a liar, but some part of him knew it was true. He felt the ground vibrate with power and death. 

Only a moment later, Nico opened his eyes to see the inside of his cabin at Camp Half-Blood. He was breathing heavily and covered in sweat. He looked around to see that the sun had just come up outside. 

He quickly wrapped his arms around his torso, forcing himself to feel that he was solid, and alive, and he wasn’t in Tartarus. He sat up and pressed his palms to his eyes, trying to force the imprints of Tartarus from his vision. 

_You’re at camp._ He thought. _It wasn’t real. It was Tartarus trying to get to you._

He knew there was no hope for him falling back asleep. He pulled himself out of bed and got dressed.

It was fairly early but there were still a good number of kids who were already up and wandering the camp. He walked to the dining pavilion hoping he could get some breakfast. 

He saw a group of Apollo kids, laughing way too loud for this early in the morning. He caught a glimpse of golden hair and smiled when Will Solace turned to him and waved. He made a space for Nico at the table and waved him over. 

Nico made his way to the table and sat down next to Will. As soon as he got close he noticed the slightly concerned look on Will’s face. It was obvious he had had a bad night's sleep and he probably looked pretty shaken up. Will clearly wasn’t going to bring it up in front of the others, but he gave a quick “you doing okay?” that Nico nodded to in response. He quickly dropped the subject. 

Around the table were about six other Apollo kids. The only one’s Nico recognized were Kayla and Austin. Will went through the names quickly though Nico barely registered any of them. One of them quickly passed Nico a clean bowl that was promptly filled with cereal and milk. 

“We were just talking about plans for the archery classes once activities start back up.” Austin said to Nico, whose mouth was currently full. 

“I think I might take a couple.” Will said excitedly. “I’m finally gonna have some free time since almost everyone’s out of the infirmary. I’ll only have to treat a few lava burns and reattach a limb here and there so I might as well branch out.”

“You need to make sure you sign up for the ones I’m in!” Kayla said, “If I help you out maybe you’ll be able to hit a target eventually”

“Of course.” Will laughed, “I need to be there anyway if you’re gonna make a habit of ‘accidentally’ shooting Hermes kids who are hanging out too close to the targets.” 

“That only happened twice.” She said defensively.

“What activities do you think you’re gonna do, Nico?” Austin said, clearly attempting to break up the oncoming argument Kayla was eager to start.

“Uh, I hadn’t really thought about it.” Nico mumbled, “I mean probably swordfighting.”

“You’ll be good at that!” Will said cheerfully, “You should also try and branch out. Do some things you’ve never tried before. Maybe you’re a master at weaving and you just don’t know it.”

Nico laughed, “Yeah, maybe. I’ll have to see what the schedule looks like.” 

“I can help you pick some stuff if you want.” Will smiled, “Maybe we can sign up for some classes together!”

“I–sure. Yeah.” Nico muttered. 

Kayla gave Nico a suspicious look, before glancing back at Will. 

“Well,” She said, cutting through the chatter, “I think we’re gonna go down and pick some strawberries with the Demeter kids. Do you wanna come Nico?”

Before Nico could answer Will chimed in. 

“Actually I might hang back for a bit. You guys go ahead and I’ll catch up with you.”

Kayla eyed Will up and smirked. “Well okay. Don’t do anything to get yourself in trouble.” 

“When have I ever gotten in trouble?” Will said defensively. 

“Never too late to start.” She laughed before standing. 

The rest of the group stood up and walked away, giggling as they left Will and Nico alone at the table. 

“Are you alright?” Will asked, he had a deep look of concern on his face. 

“I–I just had a nightmare.” Nico said, “I’m fine.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Nico spun the skull ring around his finger. “I–um–I’m not sure how to describe it.”

“Try your best.” Will said. 

Nico took a deep breath. “It was Tartarus. I dreamed I was back there.”

Will looked at him sympathetically, but didn’t say anything. 

“I know everyone talks about it. How Percy and Annabeth survived and how I got captured. But it’s still impossible to describe. I don’t know what I could say that would show people what it was like. It was beyond words.”

Will reached out and placed his hand on Nico’s. Nico flinched slightly and Will nearly pulled his away, but Nico smiled at him and Will left his hand where it was. 

“I can’t even imagine what it must be like.” Will said. “You must be one of the strongest demigods alive to survive that on your own.”

“Yeah I keep hearing that.” Nico mumbled. 

“I don’t know if I can say anything to make it easier, but I just want you to know that you’re not alone anymore.”

Between the heat from Will’s hand, and the intensity of his gaze, Nico felt like he might combust if he stayed like this any longer. 

“Thank you.” He said, Will smiled at him with a sincerity that was difficult to look at directly. 

“Hey!” Will said, slapping the table, “Do you still wanna see some of my CDs? If you don’t have anything going right now I can take you over and show you some stuff! It might help get your mind off things.”

“Uh, sure. Yeah.” Nico said, “Aren’t the others gonna be waiting for you at the strawberry fields?”

“Ah, they’re fine.” Will said nonchalantly, “I’m pretty sure the only reason Kayla suggested it is cause she has a crush on one of the Demeter kids. I bet they already forgot I was supposed to come in the first place.”

Nico almost envied how honest Will’s relationship was with his siblings. It made him want to Iris message Hazel. 

“Yeah okay, I’m not busy.” Nico said. 

“Okay great!”

The two stood up and Will led Nico to the Apollo cabin. Inside it was fairly cluttered, though not messy like the Hermes and Ares cabins were. Will’s bed was towards the back corner of the room. He had decorated his area with pictures of him and his siblings, as well as photos of a blonde woman who Nico assumed was his mother. 

Will walked them both through the cabin before kneeling on the floor pulling a large box out from under his bed. Nico was immediately amazed by the large collection of CD’s and cassette tapes that Will had stashed away. Will rummaged through the boxes pulling out several different  
CD’s, as well as a small stereo which he set on his nightstand. Will turned and sat on his bed and Nico followed, sitting next to him. 

“Okay!” Will said, “If you want to know about good country you have to start with Hank Williams. He’s like the godfather of all modern country music.”

Will pulled a CD from its case and popped it into the stereo. He quickly flipped through the songs before landing on the one he was looking for. 

“This one is called So Lonesome I Could Cry.” He said. 

“Sounds Cheery.” Nico remarked. Will just smirked as the song started playing. 

The lyrics were sad in a more tragic kind of way, not like some music that glamorized sadness. Nico felt a tug at his stomach as he listened. He didn’t dislike the melody, but what he loved about it was watching Will’s reaction. 

Will was leaning back with his eyes closed, quietly humming along to the song. He opened them and looked at Nico, smiling when he realized that Nico was staring at him. Nico blushed slightly and looked away. Will waited for the song to end before he pulled the CD from the stereo, quickly replacing it with another one from his stack. 

“This is one of my favorites.” He smiled, “Emmylou Harris. She’s so cool.”

He hit play and the music filled the room. This one was a lot more upbeat than the Hank Williams song, but still had that classic country music twang.

“I like this one.” Nico smiled. 

“It’s called Bluebird Wine.” Will said, “She really is so amazing. She was also one of the first country musicians to tour with Elton John after he got big, which was a big deal especially since there were already a bunch of rumors about him being gay and so a lot of more conservative people wouldn’t work with him.”

“Really?” Nico asked. 

“Yeah, she basically said a big ‘fuck you’ to anyone who said that she couldn’t do country while opening for a flamboyantly gay pop star.”

Nico noticed the way that Will spoke passionately about the topic. He almost wondered if he knew so much because he had a personal connection to the topic of gay history, but he didn’t want to let himself get his hopes up. 

As the song ended and another began Will jumped off the bed. 

“Now,” Will said, “do you want me to show you something really fun?”

Nico looked confused for a moment. Will extended his hand and Nico hesitated before eventually taking it. Will pulled him off the bed so he was standing face to face with him. Nico was aware that Will had a good few inches on him, but it was only once they were standing this close did he really feel that height difference. He noticed that his nose hit just below Will’s chin, and he had to crane up slightly to look him in the eye. 

Will smiled at him. “So I’m gonna put my hand on your waist, is that okay?”

Nico forced himself to steady his breathing. “Yeah, okay.”

Will gently placed his hand above Nico’s hip, and placed Nico’s hand on his shoulder. With his other hand he grabbed Nico’s and held them both out at a near right angle from their bodies. 

“Okay follow me.” Will smiled. 

He stepped along with the beat of the music, taking two steps backwards then two steps forward. Nico struggled to keep up, tripping over his shoes until he eventually got the hang of the motion. As soon as he got used to the step moves, Will let go of him, and led him into a move where they linked elbows and walked around each other in a circle. There wasn’t a lot of space to do this in their small cabin area so after only a moment Will tripped over the edge of one of his siblings beds, letting go of Nico while he regained balance. 

Nico laughed as Will stumbled, somewhat dizzy from their spinning. 

“You’re pretty good.” Will laughed, slightly out of breath.

“Thanks.” Nico smiled.

“After some practice I bet you and I could enter a line dance contest.” Will joked.

Nico didn’t know what to say to this. He felt his hands getting clammy and his mouth getting dry. He sat back on Will’s bed. 

Will walked over to the stereo and quickly popped the CD out, putting it back in its case. 

While Will was putting his CD’s back Nico noticed the group of Apollo kids had made their way back to the cabin, and began filing in. Austin looked at Nico on Will’s bed, still slightly flushed and out of breath from their dancing. He smirked, but didn’t say anything. 

Will turned and sighed lightly as he noticed people filing in back to their cabin. 

“I guess I have to go back to being a head counselor.” He said. He had a slightly sad look on his face. Nico stood up and started to leave. 

“Wait, I’ll walk you out.” Will said, placing his hand on Nico’s shoulder. Nico felt his face get hot, as he smiled up at Will. 

They made their way to the door, pushing past the other Apollo kids crowding into their bunks. Once they reached the door both of them stepped outside, away from the chatter now filling the cabin. 

“Well I guess I shouldn’t keep you.” Nico said. 

“I’m serious about what I said. You’re not alone anymore. If you ever want to take your mind off things, I’m here.” Will said intently. 

“Yeah, thank you.” Nico smiled. 

“Do you want a hug?” Will asked. Nico’s breath hitched slightly but he opened his arms out to Will. 

Will pulled him into a hug, pressing his chin into Nico’s shoulder. Will’s entire body felt hot against Nico and he felt like if he stayed like this too long he would just melt. 

Will let go and pulled away, smiling. “See ya later.” he said. 

“Yeah, see ya.” Nico smiled back. 

He turned and walked back towards his cabin, looking back slightly to see Will’s eyes still following him. Will quickly looked at the ground and took a short breath before turning and walking back into the Apollo cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a gay from the southwest (who now lives in New York) with country musician parents, I feel a deep connection to Will Solace, and a personal love for Emmylou Harris.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit more of the Tartarus Trio Talking about Trauma.

Nico had had a lot of time to think about his last interaction with Will. It had been a couple days since he had visited Will’s cabin. He was still kind of dumbfounded as to how Will had managed to get him to dance, which is something he didn’t even do before he came to camp in the first place. Between that and the hug, it was likely the most physical contact Nico had had with anyone besides Bianca and Hazel. 

Will had this way of making Nico feel like he didn’t need to put up a shield like he did with other people. Normally Nico was so worried about being judged that he never let anyone close enough to really see him. Will had somehow managed to get Nico to break every rule he’d set for himself. 

Nico hadn’t seen Will since then, between counselor duties and infirmary duties Will was always doing something and Nico didn’t want to disturb him. He tried to play it off casually, but inside Nico was panicking about what Will thought about him. He was worried he let himself get too close, and now Will was going to turn on him like everyone else had always done. _Will is just friendly like that with everyone._ He thought, _you’re not special._ He felt like he was stupid for letting down his walls around someone who saw him as just another patient at camp. 

Nico had decided to try to get his mind off things. He went to the arena to practice his sword fighting. Once he got there he pulled one of the training dummies out of the storage and set it up. He quickly strapped some of the camp’s communal armor to his chest and pulled out his sword.

He started swinging, making sure to pay attention to his posture and balance. He continued his practice, dealing a few considerable blows to the dummy. They were built to take quite a beating but stygian iron still did a bit more damage than usual celestial bronze weapons. He caused several deep black marks in the bronze armor set up on the figure. 

Nico strangely enjoyed fighting. The concentration required forced him to clear his head and focus on his body. He was never formally trained but he had been in enough battles to pick up a few things. He had also spent a lot of time watching Percy and Jason, attempting to mimic the ways they moved in battle.

He practiced different motions he had seen others do, attempting to feel the movement through to the tip of his sword. After several minutes he was breathing heavy and he felt his arms getting sore. He dealt one last swing and ended up beheading the practice dummy. He felt kind of bad but he knew one of the Hephestus kids would be excited to fix it up. They’ve been looking for anything to do to keep them busy lately. 

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size.”

He turned towards the voice and saw Percy walking into the stadium, holding Annabeth’s hand. They were both wearing bronze armor and Annabeth had a new knife strapped to her hip. 

“Hi.” Nico said, waving lightly. 

“Hey man.” Percy said. 

“Sorry to barge in on you.” Annabeth said. “We were just gonna come here and spar for a bit.”

“Possibly do a bit more than spar.” Percy said. Annabeth promptly elbowed him in the side. 

“Don’t apologize.” Nico said. “I can let you guys have the arena if you want.” 

“No, please. You can stay as long as you want.” Annabeth said. 

“Yeah. It’s first come first serve. Don’t leave just cause of us.” Percy added. 

“Besides,” Annabeth said, “we all know I’m not as good with a sword as you. If you want you can practice with Percy and maybe knock him down a peg. He’s been feeling a bit too confident lately.” Percy and Annabeth both laughed. 

“I mean, you want to.” Nico said, turning to Percy. 

Percy glanced quickly at Annabeth before turning back to Nico. 

“Yeah, I’m down!” He said. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out Riptide, quickly uncapping it allowing it to grow into a blade in his hand. 

The two lined up on the arena floor while Annabeth sat and watched from the sidelines. They both held their swords and with a quick nod, charged. 

“Kick his ass, Nico!” Annabeth cheered from her seat. 

Nico smirked slightly as he swung his blade high bringing it down towards Percy’s shoulder. Percy easily deflected it and made an attempt to disarm Nico. Nico knew he was going to, and adjusted the grip on his handle as he felt Percy’s blade hit his own. The two stepped back and stared at each other for a moment. 

Nico had seen Percy fight enough that he could practically see his next move before it happened. Percy charged and made an attempt to hit the front of Nico’s shoulder with the side of his sword. Nico quickly stepped out of the way and waited for Percy to come to him. Once he was close he slipped his blade towards the hilt of Percy’s. A sharp metallic scrape rang out as both of their swords vibrated from the collision. 

Percy stepped back, eying Nico up. He was clearly trying to predict if Nico would move first. Nico ran at Percy with his sword held high in the air. Percy moved his blade to block the path of Nico’s blow, but at the last second Nico swung his sword below his shoulder, catching Percy off guard. He hit the hilt of his sword against Percy’s chest, knocking him off his balance. Percy tumbled backward and felt into the dirt, dropping his sword. Over the sound of their heavy breathing Annabeth could be heard clapping and cheering from the sidelines. 

Nico extended his hand to Percy, who smiled as he took it. 

“Nice job Ghost Kid.” He said as Nico pulled him off the ground. 

Annabeth walked over to meet them on the arena floor. 

“I knew you could take him down.” She said to Nico, lightly slapping him on the back. He was too tired to be caught off guard by the unexpected touch. 

She smiled at Percy, and reached up to brush some of the dirt out of his hair. He used her close proximity to his advantage, pulling her into a quick kiss. Nico felt slightly awkward watching, and quickly directed his eyes to the ground. 

As they pulled away from each other Annabeth noticed Nico’s awkward posture, and shoved Percy away slightly. 

“Come on, Seaweed Brain.” she laughed, “At least wait until we’re alone.”

“I’ll try my best.” Percy retorted. 

“I apologize for my boyfriend’s disgusting behavior.” Annabeth said to Nico. Nico just smiled and laughed lightly. 

“I’m just trying to savor it while I can.” Percy said. “Between homework and my mom’s inability to knock before coming into my room, I don’t know how often we’ll get to be like this once we go back to the city.” He wrapped his arm around Annabeth’s back before letting it settle on her hip. 

Nico did like seeing the two of them together. He used to resent Annabeth, but now that he had gotten over Percy he could clearly see they were perfect for eachother. It gave him hope that one day he would be able to find someone who cared about him as much as they cared about each other.

“When do you go back?” Nico asked. 

“The end of this week.” Annabeth replied, “I’m gonna stay with Percy for a bit before school starts up, but after that I’m gonna be in a dorm.” 

“It’s still better than us being on opposite coasts.” Percy said, smiling. 

“Well the big three table’s gonna be a lot emtier without you here.” Nico said.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Percy said, “You’ll still have Jason here. Also since when are you two best buds? Dude asks about you all the time. Maybe Piper should watch her back.”

Annabeth elbowed Percy again. Nico was starting to suspect that, between Annabeth and Jason, it was likely Percy had a near constant bruise on his stomach. 

“I think that might have been one of the things that happened while you were in Tartarus.” Nico knew he shouldn’t have brought it up as soon as he said it. It was as if all three of their eyes glazed over and they all suddenly got thrown into some kind of flashback. 

“Sorry.” Nico mumbled. 

“It’s fine.” Annabeth said, “It’s just still hard.”

“Yeah.” Percy agreed. “I feel like my mind won’t even let me remember most of it.”

Nico didn’t say it outloud, but he wished his brain let him block it out. He had to sit and remember every detail like it was carved into stone. 

“I still dream about it.” Annabeth said, “I feel like I’m back there, and I hear Tartarus’ voice, like he’s taunting me.”

Percy and Nico’s eyes both went wide as soon as Annabeth said this. 

“Me too.” Percy said. He was staring at the ground. 

Nico twisted his ring around his finger. “Yeah, me too.” He said, “It always feels so real.”

“I know.” Annabeth said, “Sometimes I hear Arachne calling to me from down there. It’s like she’s trying to pull my spirit back there.”

“Sometimes I–I” Percy stuttered. He thought intently over his words as he tugged at the hem of his shirt. “Sometimes I worry that when I do die… I’ll somehow end up back there. L–like my spirit has already been and I’ll just get pulled back.” He was shaking slightly now. Annabeth grabbed his hand and squeezed it, a concerned look on her face. 

“I’ve thought about that too.” Nico muttered. “I don’t think that can happen. From what I know about the underworld, Tartarus can only pull in immortal spirits. All mortals have to pass through the gates for judgement, Tartarus doesn’t have domain there. I think that’s just him trying to get into our heads.”

“Yeah, I think so too.” Annabeth said. She was still gripping Percy’s hand tightly.

“I still think about Bob.” Percy said, with a deep look of sadness. “I feel so guilty… for everything. For stealing his memory. For lying to him. For letting him sacrifice himself.”

Nico felt like he had swallowed a rock. He had visited Bob the titan a lot while he was in the underworld. He liked talking to him, he didn’t feel like he could judge him for anything. Nico was also so dumb and in love that he couldn’t help but sing Percy’s praises to anyone who would listen at the time. When Annabeth thanked him for telling Bob that Percy was worth saving, he had thought how ridiculous it was that his stupid crush may have been the reason that Percy and Annabeth were alive right now. 

“He knew who he was.” Nico said. “He might not have remembered, but you’re more than your memories. Trust me, I would know. Without all of the hatred and violence that the other titans ingrained in him, he was good. I think Bob was a better reflection of who he was than Iapetus ever was.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” Annabeth said, “We’re only creations of what we were taught, without any of that we have no need to pretend to be anything we’re not.”

She may have been talking about Bob, but Nico felt her words deep in his soul. He had realized long ago that him losing his memory had completely changed him. He had fallen for Percy when he didn’t know anything about who he was. It was only after he started to remember his past, and all the bigoted beliefs his society had ingrained in him, did he start to think that his feelings were something worth hiding. That was probably why he had felt such a connection with Bob, he knew what it was like to forget that you’re supposed to be something evil. 

Nico noticed tears welling up in Percy’s eyes. He quickly rubbed them away and did his best to put his ‘hero face’ back on. It still amazed Nico how Percy somehow managed to be a natural leader and hero, and a completely normal teenager. He seemed to switch between those two roles so easily. He supposed that was the power of a demigod, being able to live both lives, but no one else seemed to be able to do it as well as Percy did. Evan Jason struggled to switch out of battle mode and just blend in like a regular 16 year old. 

“I think you two have done enough training.” Annabeth said. “Do you want to head over to the pavilion and see if we can get something to eat?”

Nico had assumed she was asking Percy until he looked up and saw that she was turned towards him. 

“Uhh, yeah sure.” Nico said. Percy and Annabeth both smiled at him. 

After cleaning up the training dummy and putting their armor back, the three of them walked out of the arena towards the pavilion. Nico noticed the way that Annabeth and Percy walked together, holding hands and occasionally squeezing to remind the other person they were still there. Nico wasn’t certain, but he felt like this is how they walked the length of Tartarus. Hand in hand, reminding each other that they were together. He could have felt jealous of them, and resented that he had to go through Tartarus alone while they got to do it with their best friend, but he didn’t. He only felt happy that the two of them had each other, and that they made it back in one piece. 

As they walked through camp a loud shout cut through the ambient chatter from the other demigods. 

“Hey Nico!”

All three of them turned towards the voice and saw Will standing at the doorway of the Apollo cabin. He was waving Nico over towards him. 

Nico quickly looked back at Percy and Annabeth, almost like he was asking permission to leave them. Percy looked slightly oblivious but Annabeth glanced back at Will before simply smiling. 

“Oh go on.” She said, “We’re fine. Just make sure you come say bye before we leave.”

“Yes!” Percy said, “And if for some reason you’re in the city send an Iris message my way!”

The two of them waved as Nico walked over to meet Will. 

“It’s been a while.” Nico murmured, as he reached the cabin’s threshold. 

“I missed you.” Will said. 

“Uh–Y–you did?” Nico stuttered. 

“Yes dummy.” Will said, a smile tugging at his mouth. “I’ve been so busy, but I would have liked to see you.”

Nico felt his hands getting clammy. He didn’t know what to say in response. 

“I–uh. I thought maybe you thought I was weird, or awkward. I don’t know.” Nico mumbled. 

“Oh I definitely do.” Will said and Nico looked up, trying to find any malice in his eyes but didn’t see any. “But that’s just part of the appeal.” Will smirked. 

“You–uh–what?” Nico didn’t even know what he was asking. 

“What? Did you think I was gonna stop talking to you cause you’re bad at dancing?” Will laughed. 

“What happened to ‘you and I could enter a line dance contest.’” Nico teased. 

“Maybe I just wanted an excuse to teach you some more moves.” Will said. 

He stared at Nico like he was challenging him to do something, but Nico couldn’t figure out what. They stayed like that for a moment until the sound of one of the Aphrodite kids slamming their cabin door cut through their tension and pulled them back down to earth. They quickly shook off whatever was building between them and tried to casually jump back into conversation. 

“I just want you to stop avoiding me from now on.” Will said.

“I wasn’t avoiding you.” Nico said defensively. 

“Oh so I guess you just happened to ignore me every time I tried to get your attention at dinner.”

“You were trying to get my attention?” Nico genuinely hadn’t noticed. He had assumed that Will would be too distracted to bother paying him any thought. 

“Wow you really are oblivious, Death Boy.” Will smiled. “I would have loved so much as a glance and a wave from your seat at the hero’s table. I just missed seeing your face.”

Nico didn’t know how to respond. He had missed seeing Will too, but he’d convinced himself that Will didn’t want to bother with him unless it was convenient. Hearing that Will had been trying to get his attention even when he was too busy to spend time with him made his stomach to a cartwheel.

Will looked towards the window Nico was standing next to. Nico turned and saw that the hyacinths growing in the windowsill had started wilting, some of their leaves turning black. 

“Sorry.” Nico mumbled, turning back to Will. 

Will couldn't help but smile lightly. “It’s fine. At least we know your strength is starting to come back. Just don’t try anything crazy.”

“Yeah I won't.” Nico said, bringing his hand up to scratch the back of his head. 

“Wait, you have something.” Will said. Nico looked confused for a second as Will reached up towards his face. He quickly glanced at Nico to ask permission, and Nico gave a small nod. Will ran his finger through Nico’s hair and pulled something out. He held it up for inspection. It was a piece of straw, likely a piece of stuffing form the training dummy. 

“Uh, thanks.” Nico said. 

“Anytime.” Will laughed, flicking the piece of straw onto the ground. 

There was a loud crash inside the Apollo cabin, and a shout following it. Will closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He turned and opened the door, sticking his head inside. 

“Kayla! What is going on in there?” He shouted. 

“Nothing!” An innocent voice replied from inside. 

Will turned back to Nico. “I think I have to go take care of this.” He mumbled, rolling his eyes. 

“Yeah okay.” Nico said. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“You better mean it this time” Will smirked. 

“Yeah I do.” Nico smiled. He twisted his ring around his finger and watched as Will walked back into his cabin shutting the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Nico had spent pretty much all day thinking about his conversation with Will. He didn’t really know what to make of it. He had always assumed that people wouldn’t really think twice about him when he wasn’t there, but Will had gone out of his way to let Nico know that he had wanted to see him. He felt slightly guilty for making Will think that he had been ignoring him. 

He wished he knew how to put into words the way his mind worked. He didn’t know how to describe the ways that his mind wandered when he was alone, and convinced him that everyone around him just wished he was gone. He didn’t know how to say that he had no reason to ignore someone when he was convinced that they were already ignoring him. He wanted to find a way to say this out loud, the last thing he wanted was for Will to think that he disliked him.

Will had once again got wrapped up in counselor duties, with activity planning starting up again he had to spend a lot of time meeting with other head couseler’s and discussing things like chore rotations, and which cabin’s get first dibs on which group activities. Nico, being the only member of his cabin, didn’t need to attend these meetings as often. Percy and Jason had both filled him in enough that he knew he could basically do whatever activities he wanted so long as he kept his cabin clean and kept up on whatever chore group he got linked up with. 

Nico instead had spent most of the day in his cabin. He wanted to do anything to help clear his head, so he had taken to cleaning and organizing his entire cabin. It already looked better since he had Chiron replace the tomb-like beds with normal bunks, but there was still a lot to do before it looked like a place teenagers would actually want to live in. 

He was reorganizing the area by his bunk, still trying to find a method of organization that worked best for the space. He had the iPod Will had given him tucked in his back pocket and was blasting music through his headphones as he cleaned. Nico was a tidy person in general, so he liked the process of making sure everything was neat. He didn’t have a lot of stuff but he made sure to take good care of the things he did have. He neatly stacked his few items of clothing into their drawers next to the camp shirts he had yet to actually wear out in public. 

He started sweeping up the floors, pushing dust towards the front entrance of the cabin. As he reached the door he pushed the dirt outside without noticing that someone was standing near the doorway. He didn’t realize until after he’d already thrown a pile of dust all over Will Solace’s sneakers. 

“Uh, I’m sorry!” Nico said, pulling the headphones from his ears. 

“It’s fine.” Will laughed, “What’s a few more pieces of dust gonna do?”

Nico placed the broom inside his door and stood awkwardly at the threshold. 

“How are the counselor meetings?” Nico asked. 

Will groaned slightly. “They’re so boring! I swear if I have to hear why the Ares kids NEED to have the first slot for chariot practice again I’m gonna lose my mind.”

Nico laughed as he leaned against the doorframe. 

“Um,” Will said, stuttering slightly. “I was thinking of going down to the canoe lake for a bit before dinner. Do you want to come?”

Nico’s eyes widened slightly, but he tried to act casual. “Uh, yeah sure.”

“Okay, great!” Will smiled. “I just need to drop something off at my cabin, but I’ll be right back and we can go.”

Nico felt himself blushing, and he hoped Will couldn’t see the redness on his face. 

“Okay, sounds good.”

Will quickly ran off to his cabin, leaving Nico alone to get ready. He quickly stuffed the broom back into the closet towards the back of the cabin, and pulled his shoes on. He put the iPod back on the table by his bed and waited patiently for Will to come back. 

He only had to wait a moment before Will was back at his door, with his face pulled into a big smile. Nico quickly walked to meet him and the two walked towards the lake. 

As they got to the lake they quickly found a grassy spot near the shore. Will sat down and laid back with his head on his hands. Nico followed suit, laying down next to him. He felt like there was a wire on the ground between them, and he was afraid of what would happen if he crossed it. 

Will looked over at Nico, which made his entire face feel hot. The way the sun hit Will’s hair made it look like there was a golden halo around him. Although he was around demigods all day, Nico was still amazed by the way that some of the people at camp seemed to be steeped in divinity. Looking at Will in the grass, it was clear he was not entirely human. 

“It’s been nice having you at camp again.” Will said, “I’m glad that you’re staying.”

“Yeah, I’m glad too.” Nico said. 

“Why did you ever leave in the first place?” Will asked. 

“I-uh.” Nico fumbled over his words. “I guess I thought I didn’t belong here.”

“You’ve always belonged here.” Will said. 

“Yeah,” Nico said, “I guess I didn’t let myself believe that.”

“I feel like you don’t let yourself believe a lot of things.” 

Nico was taken aback by the statement. Will was usually very straight forward, but this was blunt even for him.

“What do you mean by that?” Nico asked. 

“I just think that you tell yourself things are one way, and ignore any evidence that might disprove that.” Will answered. “If you opened your eyes more you would start to see things as they really are.”

“Yeah.” Nico mumbled. “I’m working on that.”

Will smiled at him, the creases at the side of his eyes scrunching up as he did so. 

He quickly sat and started pulling off his shoes. Nico sat up and watched as Will stood up and walked barefoot towards the lake. He looked back at Nico, as if he was expecting him to follow. 

Will started wading into the lake, letting the water come up to his mid calf. 

“Well, are you coming?” He asked Nico.

“Um, I’m wearing long pants.” Nico answered. 

“That’s not a problem. Just roll them up.” 

Nico hesitated for a moment, but ultimately pulled his shoes off and started rolling his pants up to his knees. 

He followed Will and they both waded into the water. The sun was hot and the cool water felt refreshing. Nico stood next to Will as they both let the soft ripples brush against their legs. The reflection from the water caused light to dance across Will’s face, making his features look even softer than usual. 

Will took a few steps further out. Nico stepped to follow him. As he stepped he felt his foot slip against a smooth rock at the bottom of the lake. Will turned just in time, he reached out and grabbed Nico by the waist holding him steady. 

“Ay, watch where you’re going.” Will laughed. 

“I’m fine.” Nico said, slightly embarrassed. He felt his pulse quicken with the realization that Will still had his arms wrapped around him, his fingers digging lightly into his back. 

After a moment Nico regained his balance and pulled away. “Uh, Thanks.” Nico muttered. 

“No problem.” Will smiled Nico could almost see a flush spreading across Will’s cheeks, though it could have been the heat from the sun. 

Will leaned down and shoved his arms into the water. Nico stood awkwardly, and kind of confused, for a moment. Will was running his hands along the bottom of the lake, shifting through algae and mud. Nico couldn’t figure out what he was doing, until he came out of the water holding a small stone in his hand. He quickly rinsed it off in the water revealing a pretty red color under all the mud. 

“Oh that’s a good one!” Will said excitedly as he inspected the rock. He held it out to Nico to take a closer look. It was a deep rust red with dark brown stripes. It was polished smooth by the waves of the lake. 

“It’s pretty.” Nico said. 

“Here, you can keep this one.” Will said, handing the rock to Nico. 

Nico hesitantly took it, letting the smooth stone rub between his fingers. It fit perfectly in his palm, and he wrapped his hand around it tightly. 

Will quickly returned to his search, running his hands along the bottom of the lake. He occasionally pulled rocks out for inspection, but after deciding they weren’t worth keeping, would quickly toss them back. 

“Ooh! I think this one has quartz in it!” Will said, pulling a piece of black and white speckled stone from the lake. He held it up to the sun, letting the light shine through the translucent white layers. He quickly shoved the stone into the pocket of his cargo shorts, and stuck his hands back into the water. 

“You know, I used to want to be a geologist.” Will said as he continued his search. “Back before I knew I was a demigod or anything.”

“Really?” Nico said. 

“Really.” Will replied. “I used to love when me and my mom would drive out to the desert and I could look for rocks and geodes. I always said I wanted to dig up rocks forever.”

“I think you would have made a great geologist.” Nico laughed. 

“Come on.” Will said, “you never had that job you always wanted before you realized what you were?” 

“I don’t know.” Nico replied. There was a moment of tension. 

“Oh. Right. Sorry.” Will muttered. He had clearly slipped up, forgetting that Nico didn’t remember most of his life growing up. 

Will pulled another rock from the lake, a deep emerald green color with flecks of black in the surface. He rinsed it before handing it to Nico. Nico took it and shoved it into his pocket, along with the red one. 

Will looked for a moment more, before standing up straight and wiping his hands on his shorts. 

“Do you ever wish you got to stay there? Like just live a normal life in the 40s?” Will asked as he dried his hands. 

“Well I don’t think anyone was really living a normal life in Italy in the 40s.” Nico said. 

“I guess you’re right.” Will laughed. 

“But to answer your question. I used to, but not anymore. After Bianca died…” Nico took a quick breath. “I wanted to have our life back, when we were kids. But now looking back, I think things worked out exactly the way they were supposed to. Besides, I don’t think I–” Nico paused, stuttering over his words a bit, “I don’t think I would have fit in very well.”

Will looked at him and quirked an eyebrow. “How so?”

A wave of anxiety shot through Nico. “Uh–I–I guess, I’m not really the type that would have done well back then.”

Will fiddled with the edges of his pockets as he stood. “What type is that?”

“I–uh.” Nico wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. He had said it before, to other people, and it was fine. At the same time, he didn’t want Will to react badly. “I… like people. Like, people I’m not supposed to, or at least that’s what people thought back then.”

Will smiled, his face getting slightly red, and he looked back to the water. “When you say ‘like’ you mean more than that don’t you? You mean you like them in ways people say you’re not supposed to.”

Nico took a breath. “Yes. I do.”

Will smiled again before looking towards Nico. “I think I know what you mean. I’m the same way.”

Nico’s eyes went wide hearing this. “You’re–”

“Gay?” Will interrupted. He laughed lightly. “Yeah, I am.” 

Nico couldn’t help the smile that crept across his face. “I haven’t met a lot of others like me.”

“Oh you have.” Will said, smirking, “They just didn’t always say it.” 

Nico laughed. “Yeah, probably.”

“But, uh, that’s kind of why I never really liked the people back in Texas.” Will said, “I guess some parts of the world are still stuck in the 40s. If there were people like us there, they knew to keep their mouths’ shut about it. It’s not something a lot of people like around there.” 

Will pulled the black and white stone from his pocket and turned it over in his hands. “That’s why I like it here so much.” Will continued, “No one here cares.”

Nico felt a wave of relief hearing this. It was good to know that if others found out about him he wouldn’t need to be worried. 

“Does everyone know about you?” Nico asked. 

“All the people that matter.” Will said. “All of my siblings do, and a few other people I see around a lot. It’s not like people can be too harsh here. I mean the gods have their fair share of gay flings. Even Kayla has two dads, her mortal dad and Apollo.”

“I didn’t think about that, but I guess you have a point.” Nico said. “I have only told a few people from the quest.”

“Your sister?” Will asked, “The Roman one?”

Nico fixed his eyes in the ground through the water. “No, not yet.” Nico had always wanted to tell Hazel. He had listened to her gush over Frank for months, he desperately wanted to share his same feelings about Percy, but he never got the courage to.

“Oh.” Will said softly. “Well you should do it on your own time. Don’t rush it if you’re not ready.”

“Thank you.” Nico said. He looked up and smiled at Will. His freckles glowed like gold in the sun. Nico felt like he had to squint to look at him. 

“No problem.” Will said. “I think dinner is probably gonna start soon. We should probably dry off and head towards the pavilion.”

Nico nodded and the two made their way back to the shore. Will noticed the way Nico kept struggling to maintain his balance and offered his hand to Nico to help steady himself. Nico took it, hoping Will didn’t notice how clammy it was, and they walked back to the beach. Every few steps Will lightly squeezed Nico’s hand. 

By the time they had made it back to the pavilion most of the other campers had sat down. Most of the Apollo cabin turned to the two of them, a fair share of smirks scattered through their faces. Nico blushed slightly and looked away as Will simply smiled and waved to his table. 

“I’ll see you around.” Will waved as he jogged back towards his siblings. 

Nico made his way to the big three table where Percy and Jason were already sitting.

Jason looked between Nico and the Apollo kids a few times, a suspicious look on his face. 

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Solace lately?” He said to Nico. 

“Is that a question?” Nico responded. 

“I was just wondering what caused this sudden friendship to blossom. It seems unlike you.” Jason said. 

“Maybe I’m changing. I said I was gonna be more open.” Nico said defensively. 

Percy looked at Will too. Nico felt his face get hot as he hoped that Will didn’t notice all the attention he was getting from his table. 

“What were you two doing down by the lake?” Percy asked. 

“Nothing.” Nico said a bit too quickly. “He was looking for rocks.”

Percy and Jason made a quick moment of eye contact. 

“I’m serious!” Nico said, getting more defensive now. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the two rocks Will had given him, showing them to the other two.

“Okay, I believe you.” Percy said, smiling. 

Nico turned to see Will looking back at him. Will glanced down at the rocks in Nico’s hand and smiled wide as he looked back to his siblings. 

“Yeah,” Jason said, “But don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the way Will looks at you.”

“What way?” Nico said harshly.

“Like… you’re the only thing he can see.” Jason said. 

Nico’s entire face felt hot, and he had to resist the urge to look back at Will once again. 

“No.” Nico mumbled. “I haven’t noticed that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this while on a camping trip that mostly consisted of me forcing my friends to look at the cool rocks I found in the lake. Again, possibly projecting onto Will Solace just a bit too much.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sappy romance confessions are going to kill me one day I stg.

Nico couldn’t fall asleep, no matter how hard he tried. He had been in bed for hours and every time he closed his eyes he just saw visions of Tartarus, or felt a deep sense of panic. He thought about going and knocking on the Apollo cabin and asking Will for more of that tea that helped him sleep in the infirmary, but he was probably already asleep. Plus, he didn’t want to risk any further suspicion that he’d surely spark if he’s seen sneaking into Will’s cabin in the middle of the night. 

He couldn’t place exactly why his anxiety was so bad. Whether it was Tartarus trying to get to him again, or if it had to do with Percy and Annabeth leaving tomorrow, or if it had something to do with his visit to the lake with Will. 

He could feel his heart beating heavy in his chest and his breath came out in short bursts. He twisted his ring around his finger. The cool metal helped him feel more grounded as he steadied his breathing. 

He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his iPod, which sat next to the two rocks Will had found for him, and quickly checked the time. 2:34 am. 

Nico groaned as he fell back against his pillows. He stared at the ceiling, seeing the moonlight casting a blue hue over the cool cabin. He turned and looked out the window, where the crescent moon sat high above the waters of Long Island Sound. 

He thought back to the hunters of Artemis and their goddess. The group that took in Bianca and made her feel like she had a place. 

“Thank you again, for giving her a home.” Nico whispered as he looked into the moonlight. He wasn’t sure if Artemis could even hear him, but on nights like this when his mind couldn’t help but wander he liked the comfort of knowing that Bianca wasn’t alone when she died, and that the hunters honored her as she honored Artemis.

Nico once again thought back to the day him and Bianca first came to camp half-blood. When they rode in Apollo’s sun chariot and everyone he was with was suddenly overwhelmed by the god’s otherworldly good looks and charm. 

Nico couldn’t help but picture Will’s face as he thought back to the memory, as if he could see the exact ways that Will inherited his father’s divinity. Nico felt his hands clench as he pictured the way Will’s face scrunched when he looked towards the sun, or how deeply he concentrated when he was healing people. He thought of how he could manage to make people smile even when they were sick and injured, he just radiated light. 

As Nico’s heart rate picked up again he gave up all hopes of falling asleep that night. He reached over to the iPod sitting on the table and picked it up again. He put in his headphones and turned on some music. He put on a Charli XCX album he’d heard a few times. He laid back and let the music fill his ears. 

As he listened to the song he wrapped his arms around his chest. He quietly let himself picture that they belonged to Will, thinking back to the feeling of Will holding him up as he slipped, or his hand sitting on his waist as they danced. He was so overwhelmed by the feeling of it he felt his breath come out in a shudder. 

He stayed like that, laying awake listening to music, for several more hours. He watched the moonlight move across the ceiling until it was eventually replaced by the golden hue of the approaching sun. 

As the first signs of daylight broke Nico couldn’t help but stand up. He’d gotten so anxious and fidgety and he desperately wanted to go on a walk before the camp was too crowded. He pulled on a pair of jeans and his shoes and stepped out into the grassy lawn surrounding the cabins. He enjoyed the feeling of the cool morning air and the light breeze coming in over the sea. 

He didn’t have any real destination, simply walking to stretch his legs. As he walked throughout the camp he passed by the strawberry fields and noticed someone sitting there on the hill overlooking the valley. He saw a blonde head leaning down and looking at something. He remembered being in the infirmary and looking out to see someone with blonde hair sitting in that same spot. 

He was about to walk away and leave them alone until he got a few steps closer and noticed a pair of cargo shorts and flip flops. The person was Will Solace. Nico walked over to where Will was sitting. He was hunched over and was writing something in a notebook. 

Once he was a few steps away Nico coughed lightly, letting Will know he was there. Will jumped slightly turning towards the noise, but his expression softened when he saw Nico. 

“We should get you a bell or something.” Will laughed. He stuck his pencil into the notebook and set it down on the grass. Nico moved closer and sat down next to Will. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.” Nico said softly. 

“Oh no, don’t apologize, I’m happy to see you.” Will smiled. He looked into Nico’s eyes and his smile faded slightly. 

“You didn’t get any sleep did you?” Will asked, noticing the dark circles surrounding Nico’s eyes. 

“No. I couldn’t sleep.” Nico mumbled. He twisted his fingers in the grass as he spoke. 

“Nightmares?” Will asked.

“Yes. Well, not really.” Nico stuttered, “I don’t really know what it was. I just sometimes have these nights where I can’t turn my brain off.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Will said, looking at the ground.

Nico looked at him again. Will always seemed so put together and well rested. Nico wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Will with even one bag or dark circle under his eyes. But still, he felt like Will was used to putting on a brave face even when he might not have felt it. Will looked back at him and his blue eyes looked as if they were full of movement, like clouds drifting through the sky. 

“Do you want me to do something to help?” Will asked. 

Nico wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but he nodded lightly. Will smiled and held out his hands. Nico paused for a moment before extending his hands as well. Will grabbed them tightly and closed his eyes. Nico sat, confused, for a moment until he felt a rush of energy flow through his arms and up to his chest. His eyes suddenly felt less heavy, his limbs less worn out, and his head clear and stable. It was as if he had gotten a whole night's rest in a few seconds. 

Will opened his eyes and smiled at the look on Nico’s face. “It’s healer’s magic. A trick I learned a while ago.”

“What did you do?” Nico asked in amazement. 

“Think of it kind of like a magic espresso shot. It’s meant for emergencies and quests but I figured it could help you out a bit. It just clears your head and helps restore some of the energy you’d get from a good night’s sleep. But it’s definitely not a replacement for sleep so don’t get too used to it.” Will said lightly. Nico might have been hallucinating but it looked like Will was glowing for a moment. 

“Thank you.” Nico smiled. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Will laughed. 

Nico looked back to the notebook Will had been writing in. “Are you working on some more poetry?” He asked. 

“Uh, yeah I am.” Will said, picking up the book. “I like to come out here some mornings. Apollo kids are all morning people so I like to sneak out before anyone’s up and try and get a few hours alone.” 

Will drummed his fingers on the cover of the notebook. He had a sad look on his face, Nico couldn’t exactly place why but he felt like Will had another reason for wanting to be alone in the mornings. 

“Is it hard?” Nico asked, “being around that many people all day.”

Will thought about the question for a moment. “It wasn’t before.” He answered.

“Before what?” Nico asked. 

Will took a deep breath. His chest rose and fell with a heavy tension. 

“When I wasn’t head counselor,” Will said softly, “I felt like I always loved being around my siblings. But after Manhattan… and Michael. I never thought I would have to be a leader, I figured he’d always be there to handle all of the hard stuff. I was barely fourteen when I suddenly had to take over all of this responsibility, and act like a parent to people who I used to just be able to talk to like my siblings.” Will took another deep breath. “It’s just hard sometimes.”

Will bounced his leg as he spoke. He had a pained look on his face. Nico wasn’t sure what he was thinking but he reached out and placed his hand on Wills knee. Will suddenly froze and his leg stopped moving. He looked up at Nico with his mouth gaping slightly.

“I know it’s hard.” Nico said softly, “losing a sibling.”

Will pursed his lips. “Thank you.” He muttered. “I like having you here. I like talking to you.” Will’s entire face flushed red as he looked down at where Nico’s hand still rested on his leg. “I like… you.” he said it so softly that Nico almost thought he’d imagined it. 

Nico felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked into Will’s eyes. After a moment of pause he saw the panic creep at the edges of Will’s expression. Nico realized he hadn’t said anything in response, and was just staring at Will in a state of shock. 

“I… like you too.” Nico said. His entire face and chest burned as the words left his mouth. He watched Will's lips curl into a smile. He reached his hand out and grabbed Nico’s. Nico felt another burst of energy spreading through his arm, though this time it had nothing to do with healer’s magic. 

Will’s eyes quickly shifted to their surroundings, making sure that no one else was wandering the camp yet. He leaned in until his face was just a breath away from Nico’s.

“Can I?” he whispered, begging for permission. Nico felt himself nod and Will smiled as he closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss him. 

The heat from Will’s mouth made Nico feel as if he was going to combust. He lifted his hand and reached up to run his fingers through Will's blonde hair. Will wrapped his arm around Nico’s waist and pulled him closer. The angle was slightly awkward, and Nico’s legs were falling asleep under his lap but he didn’t care about any of that. He was too overwhelmed by the reality of what was happening to be distracted by anything else. 

Will pulled away to take a breath. They were both breathing heavily as they pressed their foreheads together, their eyes still closed. Nico heard laughing and he couldn’t figure out if it had come from him or Will. He opened his eyes and just looked at Will, letting himself stare at his eyelashes, and his freckles, and his soft lips. _Lips that I just kissed._ Nico thought. He felt his heart bouncing off the walls of his chest. 

Will opened his eyes and smiled as he saw Nico staring at him. He pulled away slightly, still leaving his hand sitting on Nico’s waist. With his other hand free, Nico reached out and interlocked their fingers. 

“Th-uh–that was my first.” Nico whispered. 

Will squeezed his hand tighter. “Mine too.” 

Nico noticed Will’s eyes move to the grass they were sitting on. Nico looked down and saw that their small patch had died and turned black, leaving a dark halo around the two of them. 

“Uh, that happens anytime I feel… a lot of something.” Nico mumbled.

Will just smiled and chuckled lightly. “I don’t mind. I kind of like it. It’s a part of you.” He took a quick breath, “I like you.” He said it with a sense of calm, as if he was just now realizing what it meant. 

“I like you too.” Nico smiled. “I’m glad you forced me to sit in a hospital bed for three days.”

“Listen, that was for your own good.” Will said defensively. “It had nothing to do with the fact that I thought you were cute and wanted an excuse to spend time with you.” 

“Do you give iPod’s to all of your patients?” Nico asked in a mocking tone. 

“Okay, I will admit that part was because I thought you were cute and wanted an excuse to spend time with you.” He laughed. 

“Well, to be fair, I thought you were cute too.” Nico blushed. 

Will smiled and leaned in again, placing a soft kiss on the corner of Nico’s mouth. By now the sun had already risen above the horizon and it was only a matter of time before they would be surrounded by hundreds of other young demigods. 

The two of them sat there for a few more moments, savoring their time together until they had to come back to reality and face the rest of camp. As they heard more and more cabin doors swing open the two of them stood up. They started walking back towards the rest of camp and as they walked Will slipped his hand into Nico’s swinging their arms as they walked.

As more and more people filed out of their cabins other demigods started to notice Will and Nico holding hands. A few campers looked at them for a moment before looking away. Nico wanted to feel anxious and uncomfortable from the attention but he realized he cared more about Will than he did any of the other campers who might gossip about them later on. He felt completely content for the first time in years. He squeezed Will’s hand and smiled as they walked. 

“Nico!” a shout cut through the crowd and Nico turned to see Percy waving at him from near Thalia’s tree. He and Annabeth were loading their bags into a camp taxi while Jason and Piper stood nearby to see them off. 

“I’ll be right back.” Nico said to Will. 

“I’ll be waiting.” Will smiled and leaned down to place a kiss on Nico’s cheek. Nico felt himself blush bright red as he jogged over to meet the quick goodbye party. 

“I came to your cabin to say goodbye but you weren’t there. I was worried you ran off again.” Percy said laughing. He was leaning against Annabeth who was disguising her wide smile. Jason and Piper were doing much of a worse job at hiding their excitement. 

“Uh, no I just got distracted. I lost track of time.” Nico muttered. 

Percy looked back at where Will was standing awkwardly, watching them from a few dozen yards back. “I’m happy for you buddy!” Percy opened his arms inviting Nico in for a hug. Nico obliged and let Percy pull him into a rib cracking grip. “I am a little jealous he looks more like Jason.” Percy whispered in his ear. 

“He does not!” Nico said defensively. Yeah, Will might have blonde hair and blue eyes but that’s where the resemblance stops. Him and Percy both laughed as they pulled apart. 

“Hey, I’m just messing with you.” Percy said, lightly punching Nico’s shoulder. “You better take care of yourself while I’m not here.”

Nico laughed again. Annabeth gave Percy a confused look and he simply shrugged in response. 

She looked back at Nico and smiled. “I’m glad you’re gonna be here. I know the camp will be safer with you here to help protect it.”

“Thanks” He shrugged. He let himself be pulled into another big hug. Nico felt his face get swallowed in a tangle of curly blonde hair. 

“I told him he better take good care of you. It looks like he kept his promise.” She whispered in Nico’s ear. He felt himself blush as he remembered Annabeth whispering something to Will while they were in the infirmary. 

She pulled away and smiled at Nico. The two moved to say goodbye to Jason and Piper. Piper pulled Annabeth into a big hug full of laughter, while Percy gave Jason a classic ‘no homo’ bro hug with slaps on the back and everything. 

The two couples separated and Percy and Annabeth finished loading their things into the car. Argus was already sitting in the driver’s seat. They filed into the back and waved as the car started and began to pull out. 

Percy quickly rolled down the window and stuck his head out as the car moved. “Wait! Nico! Take care of Mr.s O’Leary for me! Maybe give her a few bones every once in a while!” Nico laughed and nodded, giving Percy a quick thumbs up as they drove away. The car drifted past the pine tree and the Athena Parthenos until it was finally out of view. 

Nico turned to see where Jason and Piper were eagerly smiling at him, clearly hoping he would offer any details about his encounter with Will without them needing to ask. 

“Uh, I should get back.” Nico mumbled. 

“Yes of course!” Piper said giggling lightly. 

“Yeah, and tell Will I say ‘hi.’” Jason smiled, “And if anyone gives you two shit let me know and I’ll talk to them!” 

“I think we’ll be fine.” Nico said, glancing back at Will quickly. 

“Yeah Jason,” Piper said, “What did I tell you about not keeping Nico all to yourself.”

“I’m not! I just want to make sure no one is treating him bad.” 

Nico appreciated Jason’s eagerness to look out for him, even though it did sometimes border on ‘overbearing older brother.’

“Thanks.” Nico said. 

He quickly walked back to where Will was still standing waiting for him with a big smile on his face. 

“You got to say goodbye?” Will asked. 

“Yeah.” Nico said.

“I’m glad. I’m gonna miss having them around.” Will said. “I always love talking to Annabeth.”

“Yeah, me too.” Nico smiled. 

“Well do you want to go and grab some breakfast?” Will asked.

Nico smiled and nodded. Will turned and they started walking towards the pavilion As they walked Nico glanced back towards the hill by the strawberry fields and smiled as he saw the dark patch he left in the grass. He knew it would grow back eventually but for now it offered him a small reminder of exactly where he was when Will kissed him for the first time. 

He felt a million butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he leaned gently against Will. They walked into the pavilion where a group of Apollo kids were already sitting and laughing at a table together. Most of them went quiet and just smiled as Will and Nico approached. Will sat down and Nico followed sitting next to him. 

The conversation quickly started again as Will and his siblings laughed about some joke that Austin had told. Under the table Will and Nico intertwined their hands and Nico felt his heart skip as Will’s thumb rubbed against the skull ring on his finger.


	9. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick look at how Nico is adjusting to his new relationship, as well as how he is getting comfortable being open about his sexuality to people around him.

Nico had spent the past few weeks getting used to his new relationship with Will. activities had started up again and Nico and Will had agreed to take a couple poetry classes together, along with a few other classes and activities that they thought looked fun. Nico was also paired up with the Apollo cabin for nearly every group activity. He was spending so much time with all of them he felt like another member of the cabin. 

He could tell Jason was a little upset when Nico had started sitting by Will during sing-a-longs but he didn’t hold it against him too long. He still sat with him every night for dinner so it wasn’t like he never talked to him. 

Jason was also planning on visiting Camp Jupiter in a few weeks. He’d invited Nico to come with him but Nico declined, saying that he wanted to stay at camp just a bit longer. (He also secretly hoped that the next time he saw New Rome Will would be there with him.)

Nico was kind of anxious about the idea of having to eat alone again. He kind of hoped there would be some way that he could ask Chiron to let him eat at the Apollo table since he already did nearly everything else with them. 

Will was once again tied up at the infirmary for a while. Since activities started there hadn’t been a day without someone getting cut, stabbed, or burned with lava. Nico knew Will liked having something to do to help out but that didn’t stop him from wishing Will wasn’t busy all the time. 

Nico walked towards the sea shore. He needed to get there before the sun got low or else he wouldn’t be able to create a rainbow for an Iris Message. Nico knew there were fountains in the big house and other parts of camp where you could send messages all the time, but he wanted to make sure he was alone for this call. 

He reached the beach and found a spot near the rocks where the waves were kicking up lots of mist. He waited for the right angle and as soon as he saw a rainbow in the spray he quickly tossed in a golden drachma in offering. He thought intently of who he wanted to see and after just a moment he saw a head of curly hair and a purple shirt flash into view.

“Nico?” Hazel asked through the mist. 

“Yeah it’s me.” He shrugged. 

“It’s so great to see you!” She said excitedly. “I’m still not entirely used to the whole ‘iris message’ thing but I’m so happy to see your face.”

“Yeah it’s good to see you too.” Nico said. “How is Camp Jupiter?”

“It’s good. Frank is still not used to everyone treating him like Praetor but I think he’s getting the hang of it.” She smiled, “Also I talked to Reyna and she said Jason and Piper are coming soon!” 

“Yeah they are.” Nico smiled, “How’s Reyna?”

“She is good. She’s a lot different after your trip with her.” 

“Yeah, I feel like I’m a lot different too.” 

“You look so much better.” Hazel said. “I was worried about you. It’s good to see you smiling for once.” 

“Yeah, I feel better too.” Nico said, “I think it was good for me to stay here at camp. I’ve been running away for too long.”

“Yes, I’m glad you found somewhere to stay put.” Hazel smiled. “Even if I do wish that you would come visit New Rome again soon.”

“I will. I just feel like I want to stay here for a bit longer.” Nico paused and took a deep breath, “I’ve been going out with someone here at camp.”

Hazel’s eyes went wide and a big smile spread across her face. “Really!? Who is it?”

“His name is Will. He helped me during the fight with Gaea.” 

Nico watched as her eyes widened a little more at the fact that he said ‘his name,’ but after a moment she just smiled. 

“I’m so happy for you! When you come to visit you need to bring him!” 

Nico smiled as he felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. “Yeah I will.” he said.

“I can’t talk much longer, but it’s good to hear from you.” Hazel said, smiling. 

“It’s good to hear from you too.” Nico said. “Also when you see Reyna tell her to call me soon. And tell her–tell her I’m not keeping secrets anymore.”

“I will.” Hazel smiled. “Nico, I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you. I’m happy too.” Nico was still smiling when the image faded and he was once again alone looking out at the sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow thank you to everyone that has read this! It's been a lot of fun to get back into writing fanfics. Also I'm going to be posting more of my works on my new tumblr so please follow me there if you want to see more! (https://ihateswamps.tumblr.com/) I'm also going to start doing commissions again so if you're interested I'll be posting more info on that soon so make sure to check out my tumblr for updates!


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